KAT Logo

The use of the KAT logo on egg packaging in the German food retail is obligatory. Eggs only receive the KAT logo if they were packed in a KAT certified packing station and sold by a food retailer. More and more consumers are aware of the KAT logo and make a conscious buying choice for eggs from alternative production methods. In this way, fraudulent labelling can be prevented.

KAT Logo

How Does an Egg Become a Certified Egg with the KAT logo on the Box?

A laying farm, an egg packing station or a compound feed producer which would like to be recognized as a KAT participant initially makes an application to participate in the system and instructs a KAT approved certification body to carry out a preliminary acceptance. The independent certification body determine within the framework of the first certification audit whether the company in question fulfils all the KAT criteria. At this point, an auditor gathers all the necessary data on the company. This includes the photographing by the auditor of the interior and exterior of the hen house (for a laying farm) and the popholes and scratching area (for free-range rearing). The photos are attached to the inspection report, along with the other basic data, and are stored in the central KAT database. Following a successful examination, the laying farm receives a certificate from the certification body confirming that it may market its eggs as KAT-certified.

Laying farms which already have KAT recognition and whose products are permitted to be marked with the KAT logo are subject to regular unannounced inspections on an ongoing basis. Alongside the annual certification, there is monitoring by goods flow notifications, which the farms enter into the central database on a weekly basis. In addition, KAT itself checks compliance with KAT criteria using verification audits within the certification period.


KAT Certification Bodies