“The consumer is paying a 27% premium”

Since the beginning of November, free-range chickens remain confined to prevent new outbreaks of avian flu from occurring in Spain. The measure will remain in place for some timeespecially due to fear of migratory species from Eastern Europe. Once it is determined that there is no longer any danger to poultry, the restrictions will be lifted, as explained to Economic Information sources from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

In this context, the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has asked the marketing companies to provide adequate information on the labeling since free-range eggs “are not free-range eggs now”, something that is not being done, as OCU has verified in 7 brands for sale in supermarkets.

“At the moment, The consumer is paying a 27% premium for eggs whose added value (the laying hens’ access to the open air) has temporarily disappeared,” the OCU highlighted in a statement, which ensures that “while a dozen free-range eggs now cost 3.25 euros, free-range eggs cost 4.13 euros”. Furthermore, the prices of these products “have been at historic highs since the first news of the poultry crisis in the US, accumulating a rise of 1 euro per dozen since then.”

This organization recognizes that “European regulations—Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465 and Regulation (EU) 2018/848— allows the labeling to be maintained without modifying the packaging or informing the consumereven when breeding conditions have radically changed for health reasons.

However, the OCU considers that this “goes against the right to truthful information, essential pillar of food safety and market transparency” and that “the excuse of the cost of modifying cases is unfounded, since the code is printed on the shell (0 for organic, 1 for free-range) and is an automatic marking that could be updated without relevant economic impact.”

“This situation also raises a serious question about fairness in pricing and reinforces the idea that the consumer is paying for a feature that no longer exists“says this group, which assures that it has contacted the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to insist on corrective measures and monitoring of commercial margins, although it has not yet received a response.