Friday, February 12, 2010

All Eggs Are Not Created Equal

I wrote last September about food labels and what they actually mean. In that post I discussed the different labels for eggs:

Certified Organic - The chickens are required to have outdoor access, but there is no regulation concerning the length of time and conditions. The birds must be fed a vegetarian diet, without pesticides and hormones. A third party verifies compliance.

Free Range - This usually means the birds are kept in a barn or warehouse uncaged and have some outdoor access. This label tells you nothing about the diet of the bird. There is no USDA standard, therefore a third party does not verify compliance.

Cage-Free/Free-Roaming - The same as free range, except the chickens usually do not have outdoor access.

Vegetarian-Fed - The chickens are fed a vegetarian diet, not necessarily organic. There are no restrictions on the living conditions of the bird.

Natural - Essentially, this means nothing.

Fertile - The hens lived with roosters. This label tells you nothing about the diet of the birds.

Omega-3 Enriched - The birds are fed a diet enriched with things like flaxseed and algae.
In this post I would like to show you the physical differences between most store-bought eggs and those that are from chickens that were allowed to roam free and eat their natural diet.

The following picture shows an Eggland's Best egg on the left. The carton says the egg is "all natural", "farm fresh", and "vegetarian fed", but says nothing about the living conditions of the bird from which it came. The egg on the right is fertile and comes from a local farmer, whose birds roam free and eat a diet of bugs, greens, and animal dung, as well as organic, non-GMO feed.



Have you ever wondered why some eggs are white and some are brown? White eggs come from white chickens and brown eggs come from brown chickens. Contrary to popular belief, brown eggs are not any more "natural" or healthy for you than white ones.

In the following picture you can see the difference in the color of the yolks (The Eggland's Best egg is on the left and the free-range egg is on the right).



As you can see, free range yolks are usually a deeper shade of orange. This is due to the birds' diets. And you can definitely taste the difference!

But color and taste are not the only differences between these eggs. The eggs from chickens that are allowed to eat on pasture have:
  • 1/3 less cholesterol
  • 1/4 less saturated fat
  • 2/3 more Vitamin A
  • twice the omega 3
  • 3 times more Vitamin E
  • 7 times more beta carotene

If you are worried about price, you can actually get free range eggs from a local farmer for much cheaper than the store-bought organic brands that claim to be free-range. A dozen Eggland's Best Free-Range Organic eggs cost nearly $5 at my local grocery store, but we purchase our eggs from a farmer for $3.

If you still aren't convinced that you should be switching to pastured eggs yet, you may want to also consider the lives of the animals. Many times the eggs in the grocery store come from birds that have been living their entire lives in a small cage not even big enough for them to stand. These birds are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones so that they can be healthy enough to lay eggs (eggs that are obviously of an inferior quality due to the fact that the hens are so sickly). Their diets consist of genetically-modified grains and corn, and sometimes they are even fed other chickens or animals. Without ever seeing sunlight or feeling the earth beneath them, they produce egg after egg until they eventually die due to their poor health and living conditions.

Why support such an inhumane practice when you can get healthier eggs, for much cheaper, and from hens that are able to live their lives in the open air doing what they were meant to do? Check your local health food store, Farmer's Market, or Weston A. Price meetings to find a source for healthy, nutritious, humane, free-range eggs.

-Jessica

Source:

"Meet Real Free-Range Eggs." Organic Gardening, Modern Homesteading, Renewable Energy, Green Homes, Do it Yourself – MOTHER EARTH NEWS. Web. 12 Feb. 2010.

4 comments:

frugalredneck said...

Jessica, Wow I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your blog, Especially where I am and where I am going with our eating and cooking. I knew farm eggs were better, But holy cow I had just no idea the difference in vitamins and such. I am going tommorow to find farm eggs, I can't even understand buying store bought eggs ever again, Being the reason I purchase eggs is for nutrient content Or so I thought!!!!I am researching milk right now, Gonna do a post on it tomorrow I hope, God willing we are all feeling better. Because of course I bought the walmart brand organic milk because it said organic I just assumed it was, Then you left the post on my blog lol and Well heck according to a list I found online that $3.75 a half gallon milk was no different then the regular $3.75 a gallon milk, uggghhh. Anyway thanks so much hun great great great post!!!! Michelle frugalredneck.blogspot.com

Olivia said...

I hate how expensive it is to eat healthy! I can buy eggs for $2. Boo. I do admit I am a little taken back by the photos and information. Question- do I look for "cage free" or "free-range"... is there a difference? Thanks!

Jessica said...

Olivia - I would pick free-range over cage-free if I were in a store. Cage-free simply means they are running around in a barn, but doesn't mean they have any access outside. The wording on labeling is so deceitful.

Your best bet is to find eggs that are fresh from the farm. Local health food stores usually have a selection or could put you in touch with someone that sells them.

Anonymous said...

Free range can be deceitful too, though. Have you read Omnivore's Dilemma? Free range means they have access to the outdoors, but doesn't mean they actually ever GO outdoors.

You're right the from-the-source is best. I found a local farmer that sells pastured eggs - eggs that live outdoors most of the time, cooped only at night - and the flavor is amazing. And! There is a difference between a spring egg and a fall egg, which I never knew before. :)