Vital Farms video disparages cage-free egg production

An online video released by pasture-raised egg producer Vital Farms purports to tell the difference between pasture-raised and cage-free eggs. A commonly used vulgarity to describe bovine feces is “bleeped out” when it is used over and over to describe eggs produced in cage-free barns, or the pasture-raised eggs which are said to be bovine-feces free. No cage-free hens are shown in the video, but the one square foot of floor space provided per hen in many cage-free houses is depicted as a wooden box of that size. According to Stuart Dill, Vital Farms producer, “Cage-free farms are just big cramped warehouses ... where the hens spend their entire lives rising and shining to some industrial-grade light bulb.”This video provides a good example of how marketing claims can distort reality and potentially confuse consumers. It would be just as accurate for a cage-free egg producer to make a video showing the comfortable and safe environment provided to hens inside a cage-free house. The farmer could then talk about predators killing pasture-raised hens or how the pasture area is pretty barren of vegetation and hens during the cold winter months.