Understanding Egg Labels

When it comes to ensuring better lives for laying hens, don’t be duped by meaningless labels. Look for ASPCA recommended labels Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane, and Global Animal Partnership (Step 2 or higher), and then sign up to join the Shop With Your Heart movement for the latest info on finding these products and making welfare-conscious choices when you shop.

	Animal welfare certifications				Other independent certifications	Industry certification	Other claims
	Animal Welfare Approved	Certified Humane	Global Animal Partnership	American Humane Certified	USDA Organic†	United Egg Producers Certified (UEP)	Cage-Free	Free Range	No Antibiotics Ever	Natural
Meaningful On-Farm Welfare Standards	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Cages Prohibited	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Adequate Indoor Space Minimums	1.8 ft² per bird	1.5 ft² per bird	1.5 ft² per bird	0.8 ft² – 1.5 ft² per bird depending on type of system	No	0.47 ft² – 0.6 ft² per bird	No	No	No	No
Environmental Enrichments Required	Yes, outdoor enrichments on pasture	Yes, must have sufficient substrate/ litter to dust bathe and forage freely	Step 1: No Step 2: Yes, ≥ 1 type of indoor enrichment required for every 1000 hens Step 3: Yes, ≥ 2 types of indoor enrichment required for every 750 hens Step 4: Yes, ≥ 2 types of indoor enrichment required for every 500 hens Step 5-5+: Yes, outdoor enrichments on pasture	Not required in caged or cage-free standards Required in free-range and pasture standards	No	No	No	No	No	No
Outdoor Access Required	Yes, “continuous daytime ranging and foraging area access”	Only if free-range**	Step 1-2: No Step 3-4: Yes, access to pasture at least 4 hrs/day Step 5-5+: Yes, continuous pasture access	Only if free-range**	Claims to require outdoor access, but space, duration and quality not defined and widely variable. (For example, screened-in porches on hard flooring are allowed for egg-laying hens.)	No	No	Yes, but undefined	No	No
Perches Required	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, but an inadequate amount	No	No	No	No	No	No
Nest Boxes Required	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Natural Light Required	Yes	No	Step 4 and above	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Forced Molting Prohibited	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Routine Antibiotic Use Prohibited	Yes	Yes	Yes	No, allows nontherapeutic use of ionophores	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
On-Farm Audits of Every Facility	Yes	Generally yes, but not required for all farms in producer groups	Yes	Yes	Yes	No, only the initial audit covers the entire farm. After the initial audit, only 50% of the farm is audited.	No	No	No	No
Timing of Audits	Once every year	Once every year	Once every 15 months (in order to see a farm in each season)	Once every year	Once every year	Once every year	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
100% Compliance with Standards	Yes	Yes	Yes	No*	Yes	No (Requires 180 out of 200 points, or 90% compliance)	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable

† Although the USDA Organic program released new, stronger animal welfare standards in January 2017, it delayed their implementation for months. Finally, in December 2017, the USDA announced its intention to withdraw these new standards completely. We are monitoring developments and will keep you updated; be sure to join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade for alerts if you haven’t already.

* American Humane Certified standards only require that producers meet 85% of the provided standards. Accordingly, it is possible that a producer might not meet certain requirements (including antibiotic or hormone use) and still receive the American Humane Certified certification.

** Certified Humane and American Humane Certified only require outdoor access under their free-range and/or pasture programs. Therefore, only eggs that have both the certification and a free-range and/or pasture label come from hens with outdoor access.

Help the ASPCA Put a Stop to Animal Cruelty

Donate