Norwegian Court Finds Egg Carton Misleading

OSLO — An egg carton with a picture of happy hens wandering around a farmyard was ruled illegal Tuesday because the chickens spend their lives in tiny cages.

The Oslo city court ruled that the picture violates marketing law because it could mislead consumers into believing that they were buying eggs from free-range hens.

The Norwegian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed the lawsuit, arguing that the idyllic scene was too far from the chickens’ reality.

The Norwegian Egg Central, an umbrella group for egg producers, said the picture was not supposed to be a literal representation of a chicken’s accommodations. The group has two months to consider an appeal.