Not all eggs are created equal! 


Understanding the labels (such as cage free and pasture raised) gives insight into the living conditions, including access to the outdoors, roaming space, and feed of the laying hens. The environment often has a direct impact on the quality, nutritional value, and taste, but not necessarily price, of the eggs. Demanding exorbitant prices for mediocre eggs is not uncommon. Become a savvy egg shopper by understanding the below labels often found on egg cartons, so you know what you’re paying for.

Cage Free hens are free to roam around in a barn, with at least one and half square feet of space per bird, but often don’t have access to the outdoors. There are lighting requirements, periods of light and darkness to mimic nature.

Free Range chickens must have access to the outdoors, but this is only required during their laying cycle.

The USDA's Certified Organic label requires that hens are raised without pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, and are fed an organic diet. However, the label doesn't require pastured poultry principles. For example, chickens may be kept in large, crowded enclosures, and the manner in which the eggs are sanitized may not be transparent.

Pasture Raised tend to be more expensive, but for good reasons… These hens that are granted 108 square feet of roaming space per bird (with fields rotated regularly) and spend at least six hours a day outside. Penn State researchers found that pasture-raised eggs contain over twice the amount of omega-3, vitamin D, vitamin E, and beta-carotene as compared to eggs from hens raised on traditional feed.

Caution these marketing tactics…

Farm Fresh: All eggs come from “farms,” even if the farm is a big building where chickens are packed into cages, so this labeling claim has no value. The term “fresh” generally means the product hasn’t been frozen, but eggs in the shell should never be frozen.

Natural: People often mistake “natural” for “organic,” but the two terms are very different. By definition, an egg is a natural food product, so slapping “natural” on it has no clearly defined additional meaning.

No Hormones: By law, chickens that produce eggs and those that are sold for meat can’t be given hormones, so eggs with this claim on the package label are no different from eggs sold without it. #knowyoureggs #buylocal

Not to mention a lot of your eggs in stores are already 3 months old 👀