Complaint number: 25/285
Advertiser: Woolworths New Zealand Limited
Advertisement: Woolworths New Zealand Limited, Instore Radio
Date of Decision: 3 December 2025
Outcome: Settled

Advertisement: The Woolworths in-store radio message said in part, “Did you know one in every three eggs eaten in New Zealand is sold by Woolworths? That’s a lot of eggs! So we are leading the way and are proud to be the first national supermarket in New Zealand to go 100% cage-fee for the eggs sold in our stores…”

Complaint: Woolworths are currently running an ad campaign stating that “1 in 3 eggs eaten in New Zealand is sold by Woolworths.” This is easily disproven as it overlooks rural/direct sales. Many people that I know never buy eggs from supermarkets and I’ve asked some local farmers and they have stated they have never provided any sales information to Woolworths so it’s impossible for them to make such a claim.

Relevant Codes: Advertising Standards Code – Principle 2, Rule 2 (b) Truthful Presentation;

Decision: The Complaints Board Chair accepted the complaint to go before the Complaints Board to consider whether the Advertising Standards Code had been breached. As part of the self-regulatory process, advertisers have the option of amending or removing their advertising after receiving a complaint. In this case the Advertiser confirmed the advertisement was no longer being played in Woolworths stores as part of the current promotional cycle and won’t be played again in its current form.

The Advertiser said in part:

(i) “We relied on third-party data to substantiate the claim that “one in every three eggs eaten in New Zealand is sold by Woolworths” (“Claim”). Specifically, we relied on market research concerning the market share of eggs sold through the organised retail market (including both supermarket and non-supermarket retailers) in New Zealand. This market data and analysis was sourced from Nielsen, a global leader in consumer intelligence and market research, specialising in tracking what consumers buy and why.
(ii) The intent of the Claim was to mean that one in three eggs sold in the New Zealand organised retail market (which represents the vast bulk of the egg sales in New Zealand) is sold by Woolworths.
(iii) Crucially, the dominant message of the Advertisement was Woolworths’ 100% cage-free commitment. The market share statistic was used purely as a supporting statement to underscore the positive impact and significance of this ethical decision. “

Given the Advertiser’s co-operative engagement with the process by confirming the advertisement will not run again in its current form, the Chair ruled the complaint was settled.