The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is consulting on how plant-based egg products should be labelled, and we need your voice! Unfortunately, the CFIA’s proposed guidelines unfairly target plant-based food sellers by imposing stricter rules, while giving the chicken egg industry free reign to deceive consumers with misleading marketing.
The guidelines suggest that plant-based egg products can use words, images, and packaging traditionally associated with animal-based eggs so long as they do not mislead consumers. But the CFIA suggests using unappealing descriptions like “soybean protein liquid egg product,” which are confusing and likely off-putting for consumers.
They also propose restricting the use of farm imagery on plant-based packaging, despite the fact that plant-based ingredients like soybeans also come from farms. These restrictions are not only unnecessary but also counterproductive to the growing demand for ethical, healthy, and sustainable plant-based foods, even as Canada’s Food Guide encourages a shift towards plant-based proteins.
Canadian Deserve Transparency in All Egg Product Labels
Meanwhile, the CFIA has let the chicken egg industry get away with deceptive advertising for decades. Although most consumers are against caging hens, the vast majority of hens used to lay eggs are confined in filthy, tiny wire enclosures in factory farms, stocked with thousands of birds in horrifying conditions. Yet labels on chicken egg cartons frequently use misleading terms, such as “Nestlaid” or “enriched colony housing”. A recent Animal Justice survey shows that only 11% of Canadian consumers correctly understand that “enriched colony housing” refers to cramped metal cages. People are paying premium prices, duped into buying some of the cruellest products imaginable.
If the government truly prioritized consumer clarity, it would apply equally strict labelling standards to chicken eggs. Egg companies should be forced to disclose whether hens were kept in cages, as well as information about environmental impact, and health risks associated with egg consumption. Transparency should extend to both plant-based and animal-based products.
By participating in this public consultation, you can help ensure that plant-based foods are treated fairly in Canada’s food market. Together, we can advocate for labelling rules that support—not hinder—the growth of ethical, sustainable products. Please have your say before the October 28 deadline!
