Outdoor chook-stocking density is a huge issue when it comes to free range egg standards, and CHOICE has been demanding a crackdown on claims for ages.
We support the national free range egg code that allows for 1500 hens per hectare – but it's voluntary.
Last year, the ACCC rejected the Australian Egg Corporation's application to introduce a standard that would see a maximum of 20,000 hens per hectare on the grounds that it was likely to mislead consumers.
But this hasn't stopped Ecoeggs, which has a stocking rate of 20,000 hens per hectare – more than 13 times higher than the code – and we reckon that's far too many for what most people would think of as "free range".
And if you think a higher stocking rate means lower prices, you'd be wrong: when we checked out local supermarkets, Ecoeggs were more expensive than other free range eggs from lower stocking rates.
People who buy Ecoeggs may reasonably believe the name means a higher standard of production than other free range eggs, and the price suggests the same.
But in the end we were left wondering exactly what was "eco" about Ecoeggs.
Join the Shonkys conversation
Talk about lemons... Share thoughts on this year's Shonky Awards with the CHOICE community forum.