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Certified Organic eggs are your best choice - The price premium goes for better treatment of domestic animals and sustainable farming. Look for the carton labelled “certified organic” and a certification mark and the name of the certification standard. The graphic of a contented hen with the sun rising over her shoulder, the words “natural”, “all-natural”, “naturally-raised”, “pasture-raised”, or “farm-fresh” are meaningless terms. All allude to how the animal is treated, what it is fed or the nutrition or quality of the egg.

Egg carton labels are somewhat bewildering to most of us. For instance, what’s the difference between “Free Run” and “Free Range”? And what about eggs that are “Natural”, “All-Natural” or “Farm-Fresh”? Like most food labels today, some provide useful information and some are just marketing pitches.

So, what do these terms mean?
First, the basics: Egg grades – Canada Grade A eggs have a firmer white than Grade B eggs. Grade B eggs may have a flatter yolk, a less firm white and a roughly textured shell. Grade B eggs are usually used for commercial baking or in non-food products.

Premium Quality Eggs – This egg exceeds that of Grade A eggs. In other words, it has a firmer white.

Egg Sizes – Peewee, Small, Medium, Large, Extra-Large and Jumbo – Eggs are sized by weight:
Peewee eggs < 42g
Small eggs 42g – 48g
Medium eggs 49g – 55g
Large eggs 56g – 62g
Extra Large eggs 63g – 69g
Jumbo eggs 70g or more

Egg Shell Colour – Brown or White? – The colour of the shell is determined by the breed of hen laying the egg. It is a myth that Brown eggs are nutritionally superior to white-shelled eggs, or that they are free range. And often you’ll pay a premium price for brown eggs.

Egg Yolk Colour – The colour of the yolk (and this is “no yolk”) is dependent on what the hen eats. Wheat-based feeds will result in a paler yellow yolk. Hens fed corn or alfalfa—based feed will have darker yellow yolks. Again there is no difference in the nutritional value.

“Classic” or “Specialty” Eggs? – Here’s where things get tricky - According to the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (Office Canadienne de Commercialisation des Oeufs) a “classic” egg comes from hens housed in cages. The majority of eggs sold in Canada are regular “classic” eggs. “Classic” eggs are also known as: Standard eggs, regular eggs, commercially produced eggs, conventional eggs, and are battery farm eggs or just "eggs".

The Health Check(TM)/Visez sante(MC) Logo – The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s (Fondation des Maladies du Coeur) Health CheckTM (Visez sante) logo on your egg carton means that according to the Health CheckTM program, based on Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, eggs are a healthy choice. The fine print, further clarifies that “Enjoying a variety of foods is part of healthy eating. Eggs are a nutritious food and, like many foods, should be eaten in moderation.” It also goes on to say that “Canadian Egg producers financially support the Health CheckTM education program.” And further: “This is not an endorsement.” Recognizing the nutritional value of eggs, Canada's Food Guide includes 2 eggs as one serving under the “Meat and Alternatives” food group. All eggs meet this criteria.

Specialty Eggs – Eggs from hens housed or fed differently than “Classic” eggs
Vegetarian Eggs –This at first glance appears to be an oxymoron. What it means is that the hens are vegetarian, not the eggs. Vegetarian eggs come from hens raised on feed containing no “animal byproducts”. Note, hens are not naturally vegetarian; they will forage quite happily for grubs, bugs and worms and such. There is not any substantial nutritional difference between vegetarian eggs and “classic” eggs, only that vegetarian eggs will find appeal to anyone turned off by some of the “animal byproducts” that can be included in conventional chicken feed, like feather meal, chicken litter, pork and cattle byproducts. What’s in chicken feed? See below.  

Omega-3 Enhanced Eggs & Vitamin-Enhanced Eggs – Hens fed a diet of 10% to 20% flaxseed will produce eggs that contain more omega-3 fatty acids (0.4g as opposed to 0.04g) and more vitamin E (up to eight times more) than other eggs. Of course, you can get omega-3 fatty acids from other foods, such as fish, fish oils, canola oil, soybeans, flaxseed and some nuts. Vitamin-enhanced eggs come from hens fed a diet containing higher levels of specific nutrients (such as, vitamin E, folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. As with omega-3 enhanced eggs, these eggs will have higher levels of vitamins than “classic” or other eggs.

Free Run or Cage Free eggs – Come from hens raised in large barns with wire floors. These hens are not housed in cages and are able to roam freely within the barn and have continuous access to food and water. These hens have an average of one square foot of space per bird. They do not have access to the outdoors. The hens have on average though, over twice the space of a battery (or caged) hen.  

Free Range Eggs – Hens producing free range eggs are raised in a similar environment as free run, however, free range hens have seasonal access (in Canada) to the outdoors as well. How much access is left up to the producer: There are no regulations. And since their feed is inside, and when it’s cold outside, the birds may elect to stay inside.

Certified Organic Eggs – Only eggs labelled “Certified Organic” are guaranteed to have come from hens “living naturally”: Plenty of space, time outdoors and a certified organic diet free of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and antibiotics. Foraging on greens and bugs (such as, grubs, bugs and worms and such) improves flavour. Also studies have shown that hens raised this way tend to have more nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin E and beta carotene, and less saturated fat and cholesterol.

Certified Organic eggs are your best choice. The price premium goes for better treatment of domestic animals and sustainable farming. Look for the carton labelled “certified organic” and a certification mark and the name of the certification standard. The graphic of a contented hen with the sun rising over her shoulder, the words “natural”, “all-natural”, “naturally-raised”, “pasture-raised”, or “farm-fresh” are meaningless terms. All allude to how the animal is treated, what it is fed or the nutrition or quality of the egg.

Animal Care Labels (Canada & the US)
SPCA Certified/BC SPCA Certified eggs (Canada) According to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the SPCA Certified standards far exceed the generally accepted practices for raising farm animals and compliment the Recommended Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals, originally developed by the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council. The Code of Practice must be followed. Of note, beak-trimming of hens is allowed only when aggression is uncontrollable. Chickens like people, get aggressive in tight quarters.

WHS Certified (Winnipeg Humane Society - Canada) – The only information provided for their standards is: “Our standards include: no animal caging; minimum space requirements; no hormones or unnecessary antibiotics; and mandatory barn inspections by independent professionals.”

The Canadian Egg Marketing Agency - According to the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency, “Canadian egg producers treat their hens with care” and “Producers follow sound animal welfare practices based on a national code of practice.” Note that the Recommended Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals is a voluntary code. It is up to each producer to follow the code.

Animal Welfare Approved (United States) – Certified by the Animal Welfare Institute, the certification is given only to independent family farmers. Flocks can have no more than 500 birds, and chickens over 4 weeks old must be able to spend all their time outside on pesticide-free pasture with a variety of vegetation. They must have access to dust baths and cannot have their beaks trimmed (a practice on crowded egg farms) or be fed animal byproducts.

Certified humane raised and handled (United States) is a program administered by Humane Farm Animal Care. This is the only animal welfare program audited each year for reliability by the Department of Agriculture and it is endorsed by many animal welfare organizations. The program has standards for ventilation, density and the number of perches and nesting boxes that must be provided. It also requires that each hen have at least 1.5 square feet of space (324 square inches).  

American humane certified (United States) is a certification program by the American Humane Association. Its standards, similar to those of “certified humane raised and handled”. Note that the code prohibits forced molting (reducing the feed leads to an increase in egg production) and require that hens have at least 1.25 square feet of space (225 square inches).

United Egg Producers Certified (United States) - Formerly the “Animal care certified”, this is the United Egg Producers (like the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency, a trade association for egg farmers) program. The United Egg Producers adopted the new name when the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau agreed with complaints they had received that “Animal care certified” misled consumers by implying a more humane treatment of hens. Many animal welfare advocates still feel that these standards are too low. Note the standards permit hens to be housed in spaces as small as 67 square inches. A letter-size sheet of paper is 93.5 square inches.

And finally, what's in chicken feed anyway?

What’s in Chicken Feed? According to the Chicken Farmers of Canada (Les Producteurs de poulet du Canada), chicken feed contains the following:

• The main ingredient of all chicken feed (88%) is grains and grain by-products, protein-producing seeds, and meal made from them such as canola or soybean meal. So all chickens are essentially "grain-fed."
• In much smaller quantities (around 10%), various other protein sources such as meat and bone meal/vegetable fats, are added to improve the nutritional content, taste and texture of the feed.
• In much, much smaller quantities (1.5%), mineral and vitamin supplements are commonly added to prevent any nutrient deficiencies.
• There are no hormones in chicken feed. In Canada, the use of hormones in chicken feed has been banned since the 1960s.
• Chicken feed may also contain minute levels (less than 1 per cent) of additives such as enzymes and antibiotics to prevent disease and digestive problems. All of these additives are subject to strict regulations and are used in conjunction with good management, vaccination and hygiene practices.

What about the carton? Plastic or styrafoam do not decompose and are not currently recyclable unless they are identified with the Mobius Mark (The three arrows in a circle). And then, only if they are identified as a #1 or a #2 type plastic (these are the two types that are the most recycled plastic in North America.

The best choice is cardboard. This is made from recycled paper which is largely unsuitable for any other product except this type of container. So go with cardboard and pass on the plastic and styrafoam cartons.

Posted by JackBoyle on January 9, 2009 02:42:14
Filed in : Human Health & the Environment, Green Living/Sustainable Living, Agriculture & Food