If you buy eggs from Costco, the video you’re about to see is probably going to be a bit disturbing. Costco has repeatedly made claims that their eggs come from cage-free hens. Their cartons show chickens freely roaming in beautiful fields.

But an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States has uncovered quite a different story. As reported by The San Francisco Globe, the society is accusing Costco of keeping their chickens in absolutely deplorable conditions that are a far cry from the sunny, balmy depictions made by the huge retailer.

The society reports that the chickens are tightly packed in wire bottom cages, unable to reach the food they need. They can’t even spread their wings. They also report that many of the chickens die in these conditions, and their bodies are left in the cages for days on end as live chickens lay eggs on top of them.

The video below is probably a bit difficult to watch, but people really do need to know where their food comes from and what’s really going on when they’re paying such a high premium for eggs that are supposed to be ideal.

The way to go if you want the best eggs (with no questionable practices attached) is to purchase eggs from local farmers — the sort that would be happy to take you on a tour of their farms if you asked.

[h/t: www.sun-gazing.com]