Nellie’s Mistreats Hens and Deceives Egg Consumers, Suit Says

Pete and Gerry’s Organics LLC and Nellie’s Free Range Eggs dupe animal-welfare conscious consumers into thinking their eggs come from humanely raised hens, a new suit alleges.

But Nellie’s, which has an agreement to supply the Boston Red Sox with eggs for the upcoming baseball season, sources eggs from hens forced into cramped conditions that limit natural movement and allow for little or no outdoor access, the suit filed March 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York says.

Nellie’s packaging says its hens enjoy “love,” “better lives,” and “green grass,” and shows hens frolicking ...