srcmabled eggs: what's in your egg carton?

Cage Free, Omega-3, Barn Raised, Free Range, Grain Fed, Heart Healthy, All Natural, Farm Fresh, Vegetarian Fed, Enriched with Vitamin E, Lower in Saturated Fat, Naturally Preferred, Raised on a Farm-Not a Factory, No Drugs or Hormones, Nature’s Farm, Farmer’s Hen House, Family Farm … exhausted yet?

These are just some of the marketing phrases found on egg cartons. I didn’t even include a list of sneaky psychologically abusive imagery they use (smiling cartoon hens, pictures of farms, bright red barns, green rolling pastures). I will admit that I’ve fallen into the trap of the marketing strategists. I’ve been buying “Judy’s Family Farm” organic cage-free eggs from Petaluma (about 40 miles north of me) for some time now. While they are organic so I know the chickens have not received any antibiotics or hormones, the way the chickens are raised is not regulated by the word “organic”. On Judy’s carton, the language, location, and packaging triggered something in my subconscious, making me believe that these were good eggs, laid by well cared-for hens. According to the Cornucopia Institute, this couldn’t be further from the truth…

The Cornucopia Institute is a public interest group, engaging in educational activities supporting sustainable and organic agriculture (specifically family scale farming). Through research and investigations on agricultural issues, The Cornucopia Institute provides needed information to consumers, family farmers, and the media. They have developed an egg rating system based on their research for almost every recognized brand of eggs. The winners of their rating system received “5 Eggs: Exemplary Beyond Organic”, while the losers (which included dear Judy and her ‘family’ farm) were rated a whopping “1 Egg: Ethically Deficient”. The ratings are based on many criteria including:

• ownership structure (family, industrial, etc.)
• organic certifying agency (certain agencies do not put their organic stamp on henhouses without adequate outdoor space)
• commitment to organics (exclusive or split)
• egg supply (whether the eggs are produced on the farm, or are a combination from other farms or from industrial scale factories)
• disclosure (whether the farm in question allowed transparency or no disclosure)
• outdoor space (no access, sqft per hen, year round, etc)
• rotation of outdoor space (moving to different farm locations for better farm culture and health/nutrition for hens)
• indoor space per bird (>1.8sqft to <1.2sqft)
• natural light
• beak trimming
• and more…

Of the brands that received a “5 Egg: Exemplary” rating, here are a few I recognized:
• Organic Pastures
• Full Circle Dairy
• Elkhorn Organics
• St. John Family Farm

I didn’t recognize any of the 4 brands that received a “4 Egg: Excellent” rating promoting outdoor access:
• Milo’s Organic
• Misera Family Farm
• New Century
• B Dabler

A few more recognized brands came in with a “3 Egg: Very Good” rating meeting minimum USDA requirements:
• Farmers’ Hen House
• Clover Organic Farms
• Organic Valley

Only two came in with a “2 Egg: Fair” rating with questionable standards:
• Sauder’s
• The Country Hen

And as you might have guessed, the most recognizable brands have fallen into the “1 Egg: Ethically Deficient” category:
• Born Free
• Eggland’s Best
• Horizon Organic
• Judy’s Family Farm
• Land O’Lakes

The following are private label brands. The Cornucopia Institute’s research indicates that the vast majority of organic eggs for private label brands are produced on industrial farms that house hundreds of thousands of birds and do not grant the birds meaningful outdoor access. These companies did not give the Institute information on where they source their eggs:

• Whole Foods 365 Organic
• Full Circle (not to be confused with Full Circle Dairy)
• Kirkland Signature
• Nature’s Promise
• Price Chopper Naturals
• Trader Joe’s
• Wild Harvest

Now you can make your own educated decision on what kind of farm, practices, and people you want to support with your dollar. I prefer to support the hardworking small family farmer and his dedication to raising quality animals in a humane way, and providing healthy food to consumers! Check your local farmer’s markets for eggs and ask the farmer questions based on the scorecard criteria to learn how your food is raised and produced.

See Original Article at: www.rootwellness.com/post/4504439072/srcmabled-eggs