Giant to Halt Eggs’ Animal Care Logo

Printed in the Washington Post on September 16, 2005

Giant Food of Maryland, in response to a lawsuit filed by an animal advocacy group, has agreed to stop using a logo on cartons of its store-brand eggs that certifies them as coming from humanely treated chickens.

In February, the group, Compassion Over Killing, and four egg consumers filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court against Giant Food, Brookville Supermarket and Lehman's Egg Service alleging that the "Animal Care Certified" logo stamped on egg cartons by United Egg Producers deceives shoppers by conveying a false message of humane animal care.

Erica Meier, a spokeswoman for Compassion Over Killing, said Giant will remove the logo from its egg cartons while it investigates claims that the chickens are kept in wire cages so small that they can't spread their wings and that chicks have parts of their beaks burned off to reduce the impact of stress-induced aggression.

A spokesman for Giant said the agreement applies only to Giant-brand eggs sold in the District. The suit against the remaining defendants will go forward, Meier said.

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