Hannaford’s Egg Cartons and Signage

Over the past year, Hannaford and its parent company, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, have faced questions about their continued sale of eggs from caged hens, after previously telling customers they would transition away from that practice. During this period, Hannaford placed signs in its egg aisles titled “Egg Types eggsplained,” which stated: “Hens are raised in lots of ways. Learn more about your many nutritious egg choices!” The signage then listed the different production systems.

In a November 2025 survey of 812 Hannaford customers, respondents were shown this in-store signage along with photos of Hannaford-brand “conventional” egg cartons to assess whether they could accurately identify them. (Conventional eggs are produced using cages.)

The results showed significant confusion. Sixty percent of customers incorrectly categorized some or all of the cartons as cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised, or organic. Only 27% correctly identified them as conventional, and 14% said the labels were not clear to them.

Overall, the findings show that many surveyed Hannaford customers wrongly identified the store-brand cartons—believing eggs from caged hens were instead cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised, or organic. This indicates a significant portion of customers misunderstand what eggs they are purchasing based on Hannaford’s branding and signage.

Poll funded by the New England Consumer Alliance.