Joojoo Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 (edited) http://www.asda-corporate.com/policies/environmental-sourcing.asp Go down to Farm Produce. Section regarding Battery Eggs. Very strange! Edited February 11, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairy&cake Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 thats weird! we saw at least 500 boxes of Bat eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 They were definitely still selling them a couple of weeks ago when I was last in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 They had loads of Smart Price eggs in store at lunchtime There was also not a single free range/free-range organic chicken in the whole store Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 It's all spin standard own label fresh eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 They seem a bit clueless to me. They are telling us they will only supply free range eggs but showing a picture of barn eggs - not the same thing at all!! Also, that tells us nothing about the eggs they are using in their own label products and ready meals, only about the fresh egg sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 I'm not mis-reading it am I? It does say that they are no longer selling Battery Eggs doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I'm not mis-reading it am I? It does say that they are no longer selling Battery Eggs doesn't it? Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 I think I'm going to email my local Trading Standards about it. It's not right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Snowey if you read it theyve cleverly made it sound liek that without actually saying it After long consultation with our egg suppliers we now no longer use battery hen production for our standard own label fresh eggs. We are ahead of other retailers in making a commitment that our free range eggs will only be British, and we're calling for others to follow our lead. This commitment also meets the demand for free range eggs, with their popularity up by 22% on last year. All our eggs are British and clearly display the lion mark to guarantee that the hens have been vaccinated against salmonella. they say that they wont use battery eggs for their own label fresh eggs. Doesnt say that Most eggs will be other suppliers. They say that their free range eggs will be British not that they will only sell free range or British (or both) eggs). It doesnt say much to be honest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Ah yes, just re read - no longer using battery eggs for our standard eggs, basically means they will continue to sell barn eggs, hence the picture. And the free range eggs they do sell will be British. So with battery cages being phased out anyway, they aren't changing an awful lot are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 sadly no I wish that they could be done for putting misleading words but they havnt actually said anything thats a lie (that we know) If intelligent people like omleteers can read it wrong then think about the general masses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 I've emailed my local Trading Standards. Fortunatley I know the Head of the department so hopefully he will look intol it for us. I think the very fact that what they are saying is misleading is wrong under the trade descriptions act. I'll let you know how I get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I found Asda's response to my query about their chickens to be very misleading, they informed me that they do not sell chickens that have been raised in a battery or cage system , instead all their chickens are raised in barns with access to fresh food and water. Makes it sound quite nice really, unless you're someone who is aware that chickens for egg production are the ones confined to cages and broiler chickens (for food) are your barn reared birds. Stocking density and welfare standards for broilers were neatly sidestepped. I think that, looking at this latest statement about battery eggs, they're playing clever games and deliberately trying to mislead customers in the wake of all the recent tv programmes. In which case, shame on you Asda, and I'll certainly not be spending any more of my precious pounds there. I can cope with stores stocking broiler birds and battery eggs, I hate it, but accept it, sadly the consumer needs to be educated and stop demanding these products. A little bit of honesty from Asda, along the "we're looking into it, still stocking them, but appraising customer requests/ buying habits to monitor demand" etc, would have a sat lot more easily with me than this (apparently) deliberate attempt to mislead us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I can't make any sense of this... the point surely should be, that if any store decides it's not right to sell battery eggs for their 'own label', they shouldn't sell them at all?? It's like acknowledging something is wrong if one does it, but perfectly fine and permitted by anyone else... For some things, half decisions are just not enough... if one agrees battery eggs shouldn't be sold, whether they are own label or not shouldn't make a difference... it should just be a decision to stop selling battery eggs!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hmmmm......clever of them. It will be interesting to see what the Trading Standards have to say. I daresay they will have sought advice before putting those words together......they will say that they can't help it if people draw the wrong conclusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicki9 Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 It mentions their "standard" own brand will not be battery, it doesn't say that their "budget" range will not be battery as well. Very sneaky wording I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Unfortunately it has absolutely nothing to do with thinking that battery eggs are wrong, it is all about customer demand and maintaining the edge over their competitors. They will do the bare minimum to keep the customers happy, and if the customers are willing to be mislead, that is their lookout (as far as the supermarkets are concerned). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 This is the email I've sent to Trading Standards, so fingers crossed they will look into it. At the very least it's mis-selling. Hi I've just noticed this statement regarding battery eggs on the ASDA website http://www.asda-corporate.com/policies/environmental-sourcing.asp I appreciate that they are not actually telling any untruths but I do believe that it is very misleading to the general public. I have read a great deal regarding poultry welfare so can understand the wording for what it is. However, I think that the ordinary shopper would believe that ASDA are not selling battery eggs. I also received the email (below) from their customer services department. They don't seem to understand anything about rearing chicken for meat - see remark about none of their chicken being raised in cages which obviously they wouldn't be! It's bizarre in the extreme. I don't know whether you or one of your colleagues are able to look into this for me, but I would greatly appreciate it if you could. I look forward to hearing from you. Many Thanks Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 There was also not a single free range/free-range organic chicken in the whole store We don't usually shop at Asda, but we did last night as we were passing one to save time. I was surprised at how little organic produce they stocked, and no free-range or organic chicken at all. It was a big Asda too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Hi Everyone This is the reply I've had from the Head of my local Trading Standards regarding the misleading information on ASDAs website. Hi, Having given this some thought I have considerable sympathy with your view that the wording is misleading. The wording is, I am sure, deliberately carefully set out, and the picture of a barn egg box does assist their case. If a criminal offence has been committed it would be under section 15 of the Food Safety Act 1990, or Section 1 of the trade Descriptions Act 1968. I would have to say that I wouldn't wish to take such a case to court as I wouldn't like to say that we could prove beyond reasonable doubt that the statement is misleading, but I have passed the issue to an officer at West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service who have what is called a Home Authority relationship with Asda. This means that they have regular meeting to discuss compliance issues, and at those meetings they can, where appropriate, make recommendations for changes in products, labels or adverts where it is thought that they may breach legislation. I'll see what WY think of the matter. If they agree with us I would expect them to raise the matter with Asda. If Asda then don't change it would be up to an authority to prosecute to prove the point and get the website changed. As I say, I don't think that would be us. Lets hope that they take the point and voluntarily make a change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicki9 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 A positive response, at least they will be challeneged on this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Well done Joojoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Thanks I am feeling rather pleased with myself at the moment. Even if we don't get the outcome we ultimately want, at least it will hopefully have made them review the way they advertise to the general public and be a little bit more honest in the future. Then again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatsCube Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Well I have officially decided to stop shopping at Asda. with this and also their response to Jamies questions on their chicken rearing they really dont have any ethical food options, and as prev said they do very little organic or free range products too. Their is a Tesco not much further from me, which I know is not a little better but at least they do some good stuff. And as much as possible I will buy the bulk of my shopping from the farmers shop and my local co-op, Its just a pain in the bum having to shop at 3 differnt shopps for my groceries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
