Are free-run eggs the same as free-range eggs?
Apparently, most Canadians think free-run chickens peck and wander around outside, according to a consumer survey conducted by Farmers Feed Cities, an Ontario agricultural awareness organization.
The online survey, conducted in September, found that 81 percent of Canadians who buy free-run eggs believe the hens are raised outdoors.
In reality, free-run eggs come from chickens that move about in an enclosed space inside a barn.
Jenny Van Rooy, campaign co-ordin-ator for Farmers Feed Cities, said consumers are likely confusing the term with free-range eggs, where chickens do go outside.
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This type of misconception illustrates that Canadians are choosing items at the grocery store for a particular reason that may not align with the facts, Van Rooy said.
“They (consumers) are misinformed, but they don’t know that they’re misinformed,” she said.
This is the third year that Farmers Feed Cities, an initiative funded by Grain Farmers of Ontario and other commodity groups, surveyed Canadians to gauge what they know and don’t know about agriculture. This year’s focus was to understand why consumers have particular food philosophies and if those beliefs are based on facts.
“They’re buying something because they believe in it, in some way or another,” Van Rooy said.
For example, only 41 percent of survey respondents said genetically modified food is safe for consumption. Such a belief directly contradicts rigorous Health Canada re-search that has validated the safety of GM food, Farmers Feed Cities said in a news release.
That survey result, indicating 59 percent of Canadians think GM food is unsafe, caught the attention of Doug Chorney, president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers.
“That’s concerning, and we in the industry have to step up and improve the information in the public domain.”
There are many reasons why consumers develop certain beliefs when it comes to food, including social media, word of mouth and conventional media, Van Rooy said.
However, she said the food industry must also shoulder some of the blame because companies are in the business of selling food rather than informing consumers.
“Everyone wants to sell their product,” Van Rooy said. “They (food makers) aren’t going to write on their free run egg box, ‘these animals run freely within a barn but don’t go outside’…. It’s almost like they’re playing on that misconception.”
Kelly Daynard, communications manager for Farm & Food Care Ontario, which provides consumers with agricultural information, recently conducted a survey to determine what Canadians know about agriculture.
“And 93 percent said they know little to nothing,” she said.
Environmental groups and other non governmental organizations with a food agenda have become skilled at filling that vacuum, which is why agricultural groups and farmers need to be “part of the conversation,” Daynard added.
With that in mind, KAP spends a significant amount of time and money engaging the public in discussions about agriculture, Chorney said. As an example, KAP is running bus ads in Winnipeg and Brandon this fall that explain that agriculture and food contributes $10 billion annually to the provincial economy.
- 86 percent of Canadians are interested in buying local food, while only 29 percent want to buy organic
- 66 percent of respondents know that meat and dairy products must be tested before being sold in Canada
- 67 to 69 percent of Canadians believe livestock have high levels of artificial hormones or antibiotics, which wind up in the food chain
