A major egg supplier has been fined $300,000 for falsely claiming its products were free range.
The Federal Court fined Free Range Egg Farms, which sells in every state and territory except in Tasmania, after upholding the consumer watchdog’s claim that hens did not have enough outdoor access to be called free range.
“Where free range egg claims are not true, consumers are harmed and, as important, other egg suppliers who are producing eggs that are genuinely free range are disadvantaged,” Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rodd Simms said.
The Ecoeggs, Port Stephens and Field Fresh brands were all promoted as free range between 2012 and 2014, which was misleading and involved powerful images and wording to sell the products, Justice James Edelman said in his judgment.
