The German Egg Industry Faces Mislabeling Fraud

An extensive investigation of more than 150 egg producers is under way in Germany following suspicions that farmers were mislabeling their eggs as free-range or organic and using inappropriate feed for their hens, according to the Associated Press. Both conventional and organic farms are being investigated with a possibility of even more operations duping consumers into paying more for falsely labeled products. In order to be considered free-range, animals have to have at least four square meters to roam, and to qualify as organic, food products must adhere to more stringent requirements. More than 1 million eggs may have been mislabeled, and the farmers accused face fines, losing the loss of operational licenses, or imprisonment.