Australia's poultry producer Inghams Enterprises is misleading consumers over claims in a high-profile TV campaign that their chickens have ''no added hormones'', according to GE-Free New Zealand.

While the ''added ingredients'' might not be genetically modified, the chickens may have been fed with GM soy; Inghams claimed this makes no difference to the chicken, the group said.

The advertising campaign led consumers to believe the company has a GM-free policy, but Inghams online statement explicitly endorses the use of GM feed, the group said.

When fed with GM grain, the chicken meat may contain GM DNA, said the group's spokesman Jon Carapiet.

Thus, consumers are misled into buying meat products that they might have stayed clear of, he said.

Inghams Enterprises operates in all states in Australia and New Zealand, with poultry production as its core business. The company business includes fully integrated farming, primary and further processing, ingredients for pet food and a piggery operation.