Buying eggs

Buy free-range and look out for our Good Egg Award winners

This is the simplest thing you can do to help the hens that lay your eggs. Free-range hens have access to the outdoors and are not confined in cages. Hens in barn systems are also free from cages, but do not have access to the outdoors.

The cheapest eggs are usually from cage systems. Use of the barren battery cage was banned in European Member States from 1^st January 2012. Many countries are still not compliant and the use of the ‘enriched’ cage is still permitted. Cages confine hens, providing little three dimensional space and limiting the hens’ ability to carry out natural behaviours such as walking, wing flapping, dustbathing, perching and nesting. They are never allowed outside and do not see natural light.

Remember egg ingredients

Remember lots of food products like mayonnaise, cakes, biscuits and quiches contain egg. Unless the ingredients say 'free-range eggs' or ‘barn eggs’ they are likely to be from caged hens.

Good Egg Awards

Our awards recognise companies that commit to using cage-free eggs throughout their supply chain.

• Find winning companies using free-range, organic or barn eggs, instead of cage eggs, on our Food Business website.

Find out more

• Find out about the lives of egg laying hens.