THERE'S no doubt one of the consumer's biggest bugbears is having to be habitually suspicious of everything.

Too-good-to-be-true contracts with indecipherable small print and deliberately confusing product descriptions are just two of the flies in the ointment of the shopping world.

Recently, ambiguous labelling on egg boxes has been flagged up as an arguably devious method of leading customers down the wrong aisle.

A host of supermarket giants have taken flack for encouraging shoppers to wrongly believe they are buying free-range eggs by calling their battery-produced range "Healthy Living" or "Fresh Eggs".

You could argue that this is a slightly tenuous argument and consumers should take responsibility for reading labels properly to ensure they get what they want.

Then again, it's a conveyor belt world and in a moment of desperate-to-get-out-of-here madness, it's easy to scan and pick up items which might not be what they seem.

But is it a subtle ploy by supermarket marketing execs to palm off goods which might otherwise be left on the shelf, or simply shoppers' complacency?

Recent Defra statistics show that retailer demand for free-range, barn and organic products has increased by five per cent on last year and is steadily growing.

But while these eggs are labelled very clearly, this is often not the case when it comes to those from battery hens, according to the RSPCA.

A specially commissioned MORI survey showed that labels such as Healthy Living (Tesco) and Fresh Eggs (Sainsbury's, ASDA and Morrisons) were associated by many people with free range or barn eggs, when they are actually used to describe battery eggs.

And when presented with examples of labelling used to describe battery-produced eggs, many people questioned did not realise they were battery eggs.

In the case of both Healthy Living and Weekender (Stonegate) eggs, three quarters of the public said they were free range or that they did not know.

The RSPCA Egg Box and Shell Labelling Survey of 1,974 adults also found that only eight per cent correctly identified the egg labelled Healthy Living as battery produced.

Only 18 per cent correctly identified the egg labelled Fresh Eggs as battery produced and 54 per cent of those questioned wrongly thought Healthy Living was describing a free-range egg.

Separate RSPCA research showed some supermarkets are still selling products that fail to comply with European egg marketing regulations that came into force on January 1, 2004.

These state that egg packaging must carry labelling that clearly indicates the method of egg production.

"Egg labelling is still confusing customers and we are concerned that many supermarkets are not doing enough to address this," said RSPCA senior scientific officer, Caroline Le Sueur.

"Those who want to buy with higher standards of welfare in mind are being misled by incorrect and illegal labelling."

However, supermarkets in the firing line insist their packaging is clear.

A spokeswoman for Tesco said all its eggs were clearly labelled, enabling customers to make an informed choice about the type of eggs they wish to buy.

"The information on the label includes a full and clear description of how the eggs are produced," she said.

In spite of this, the RSPCA has followed up its research by writing to Defra with concerns that the UK Government was failing to implement new legislation thoroughly.

In addition, animal welfare organisation Eurogroup is currently gathering information to submit to the European Commission to show which other member states are not meeting regulations.

Phil Whitehouse, divisional manager at Worcester Trading Standards, said while it seemed no laws had been broken by the supermarkets, there were issues surrounding "credibility, clarity and accuracy".

"To avoid confusion, we would advise purchasers who are concerned about the way in which hens are kept to look for the words free range and the Freedom Food logo," he said.

The RSPCA's Freedom Food label has already been taken on board by many producers who are keen to show their customers their commitment to protecting animals' welfare.

Worcestershire's Clarence Court, which produces coloured Old Cotswold Legbar free range eggs and Mable Pearman Burford Browns, is one such advocate.

"The Freedom Food Label has worked very well for us as the RSPCA has very high standards and inspects at least twice a year," said owner Philip Lee-Woolf.

"It's just common sense to do with looking after chickens properly and if they are really free range, with plenty of space for living, eating and drinking, there shouldn't be a problem.

"We have feedback from customers all the time as they become much more aware of animal welfare. However, although we've had the Freedom Food label for five years, it is generally not very well known as other schemes are better publicised.

"But, if you buy eggs with this label, you can be assured you are protecting animals as it is completely dedicated to free-range and barn kept chickens."

For consumer advice about food packaging call Trading Standards on 01905 765373.