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Egg labels can be quite confusing. If you check out the grocery store egg section, you may be bombarded with labels such as Grade A, Cage Free, Free Range, Organic, and Pasture Raised.

So, which one is the healthiest for you? And is it actually worth the money?

As a simple trick to help indicate the quality of an egg, you can generally look at the color of the yolk. The darker the orange of the yolk, the more it indicates an egg from a healthy chicken and promises to be full of healthy vitamins and minerals.

On one shopping trip to Lidl, my husband and I noticed cage free eggs that were super cheap. We were delighted and snagged a carton for out morning breakfasts. Unfortunately, we were quite disappointed to find pale, colorless eggs that were nowhere near the taste of the free-range eggs we normally buy.

This was confusing…

Aren’t cage free supposed to be the “healthy” eggs?

Egg Labels

Conventional eggs found at the grocery store are usually stuffed into cages in huge warehouses and fed corn and grain. The close quarters and terrible conditions make them sick, so these chickens are also pumped with antibiotics, even when they are in their laying time.

According to a report on Food Safety and Cage Egg Production “All 16 scientific studies published in the last five years comparing salmonella contamination between cages and cage-free operations found that those confining hens in cages had higher rates of Salmonella, the leading cause of food poisoning related deaths in the United States.”

These chickens never see the light of day and are raised in a stressed, unhappy environment. This results in eggs with poor nutrition, which can be seen in the pale color of the yolk.

Thankfully, there have been many other types of eggs on the market to choose from, which provide some healthier options.

Cage Free

Cage free eggs have been on the market and presented as a healthier alternative to conventional eggs. However, the standards for these eggs are pretty low.

The US Department of Agriculture defines cage free eggs as those laid by hens that “are able to roam vertically and horizontally in indoor houses, and have access to fresh food and water.”

So, cage free chickens have the freedom to roam (even though it is usually just inside a crowded barn), and continuously have access to food and water. Basically, you are getting exactly what the name implies: they are not kept in cages.

A chicken that is cage free probably was kept in an over-crowded barn and never saw the light of day or allowed to forage for things like as insects and worms. The chickens can still lead very stressful lives.

All of these factors result in a poor-quality egg that is marketed as healthy and more expensive.

Free Range

Free range is pretty much the next level up when it comes to the chicken health world. These chickens have access to the outdoors.

The US Department of Agriculture describes free range eggs as being produced by hens that “are able to roam vertically and horizontally in indoor houses, and have access to fresh food and water, and continuous access to the outdoors during their laying cycle. The outdoor area may be fenced or covered with netting like material.”

While you may envision happy chickens pecking around the yard on a beautiful farm, sadly this is often not the reality.

The standards for free range eggs are not well regulated or have strict requirements. The USDA’s rules do not require chickens to have access to a pasture where they can have a natural diet of worms and insects. In fact, it doesn’t even specify how much space each chicken must have outdoors or even how much time a day the chickens have access to outdoors.

While free range can be a good indicator of a healthy egg, sadly the standards are not set enough to keep large companies from continuing to raise chickens in unhealthy conditions. Eggs can technically still be labeled free range, even if they live most of their live indoors and only can get out to a fenced in yard devoid of bugs or forage for only a small portion of the day. These birds still get all of their food source from chicken feed full of corn and soy.

Organic

This means that the farm fed the laying hens with organic feed. It is not an indication of whether the animals were allowed outside to forage.

Pastured

The pasture raised label on eggs indicate these laying hens spent at least some time outdoor on a green area where they would have access to their natural food of bugs and greens. Eggs that are pasture raised are also under the category of free range as well, so you may seek a carton of eggs with both labels. The eggs are usually produced by small farms that allow the chickens to roam.

Which is Healthiest for You?

Pastured eggs are shown to be the healthiest overall. In a study conducted by Mother Earth news, “eggs from hens raised on pasture show 4 to 6 times as much Vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs.”

They also found that, compared to nutrients found in conventional eggs (according to USDA data), pastured eggs may contain:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta-carotene 

Hens that are allowed out in the pasture live happier lives with less stress where they can get plenty of sun and fresh air. This helps keep the chickens from getting sick, lessening the need for harmful antibiotics. These hens get more nutrients from their natural diet of bugs and greens, versus only being fed corn-filled feed.  

You should definitely look for eggs that are labeled as free-range, but for them to actually be healthier for you, look for the label of pasture raised as well. However, keep in mind that the term pasture-raised is not well-regulated so you do have to be careful and perhaps do your research before purchasing.

Purchasing eggs from a local farm at the farmers market is usually a good option. Talk with them about how the chickens are raised and make sure the laying hens are allowed out in pasture for some time each day to forage.

You can sometimes find pasture raised free range eggs on the shelves of healthy grocery stores. Just be sure to do your research.

Two of the brands I enjoy are Vital Farms and Happy Egg.

Vital Farms require 108 square feet per bird and raise them on rotating pastures to allow them to naturally forage.

 I like to get Happy Egg’s the Free-est of the Free Range Eggs as well. At first, I made fun of the name, but once I looked into egg health and raising standards and saw the warm deep orange color of the yolks, I knew there was something to these eggs. Their farms have over 8 acres for the chickens to roam.

Another option you have is to raise some laying hens in your own backyard! This way you can ensure the quality of the eggs you are eating and can gather some fresh eggs for breakfast each morning. Obviously, this suggestion is space and zoning area permitting!

Happy Egg Hunting!

Whether it is finding a favorite brand at a healthy grocery store, going to your local farmers market or getting a few laying hens for yourself, I hope you realize the importance good egg quality.

It’s not just what foods you put into your body, but also the quality of the foods you are consuming! Now go get some healthy eggs from happy chickens to give your body the healthy protein, fat, omega-3s, and Vitamin D it needs!

Other References:

• https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/06/29/egg-labels.aspx
• https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/qa-shell-eggs
• https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/eggs-zl0z0703zswa#axzz2vyTUnC7b
• https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/about/live-healthy/consumer-labels