‘Un-egg-cceptable’ egg labeling must end, says Ernst

Improved federal labeling guidelines proposed under a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) would guarantee that any product labeled as an egg is actually from poultry.

“Our egg producers and farmers work hard to put high-quality, nutritious eggs on consumers’ tables,” Sen. Ernst said earlier this week. “Labeling plant-based products as eggs undermines that hard work — it’s simply un-egg-cceptable.”

Companies that label plant-based products as eggs undermine the integrity of real egg farmers, a vast majority of which are in Iowa, according to a bill summary provided by the senator’s office.

At the same time, however, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not taken any action against such deceptive labeling claims, the summary says.

To require enforcement against misbranded egg alternatives, Sen. Ernst on Jan. 11 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of the Consistent Egg Labels Act of 2024, S. 3584, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).

If enacted, S. 3584 would require the FDA to issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled egg alternatives within 180 days and would hold the FDA accountable to Congress to enact the guidance within two years.

The bill also would enforce a definition stating that a food is an egg only if the food is the reproductive output of avian poultry species, including an albumen or yolk that is, or was at any point, encased in a calcium-based shell, according to the text of the bill.

Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, joined the North Central Poultry Association, the Iowa Egg Council, and United Egg Producers to support the measure.

“I’m committed to maintaining the integrity of real eggs in our grocery stores on behalf of both consumers and farmers,” said Sen. Ernst.