It's still misleading in Sweden, even though we're in the EU. Here it's called "frigående" (free-walking, or free-range) which for hens just means that they are not kept in small cages. The free-range version with access to the outdoor is called "ecological" (16% of the hens).
When people buy eggs in Sweden from "free-walking" hens, they expect them to be outdoors in the sun, but instead they are kept indoors with a maximum of 9 hens per square meter and up to 10.000 hens in a barn.
It's not easy to find an English description of this, so here are some Swedish articles:
When people buy eggs in Sweden from "free-walking" hens, they expect them to be outdoors in the sun, but instead they are kept indoors with a maximum of 9 hens per square meter and up to 10.000 hens in a barn.
It's not easy to find an English description of this, so here are some Swedish articles:
Wikipedia:
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frig%C3%A5ende_djur
Swedish Egg, an organization from the egg industry:
https://www.svenskaagg.se/?p=19891&m=3959
Djurens Rätt, an animal rights group:
https://www.djurensratt.se/djur-i-livsmedelsindustrin/honor-...