Do you believe that eggs are 'cage free' or 'free-range'? I want to believe, but who checks up on the farms where they come from? They are more expensive and are supposed to be better for you or at least to ease your conscience. As a child my father had his own business, so our eggs came straight from the farm, but as I shop these days, the choice is confusing. In the UK McDonalds say they only use free-range eggs for all their products, so it does matter to the public, but do we believe the eggs are really free-range?
It's all trickery. Free range, cage free.. that may be so, but just because they aren't in cages or they're free to "roam around" doesn't mean they have access to what they really need and they're still so crammed into these places, they can't go anywhere anyway. They also continue to do all the nasty, unheard of things to them, regardless of what's on those tidy little labels that promise happy, healthy birds and don't actually mean squat. If it's mass producing, you can be sure they're cutting corners and those birds are just as sick, deprived and abused as the others. Maybe there is a few good ones out there, but I doubt it.. it would be expensive and hard to keep thousands of birds happy and these people aren't in the business of animal luxury. Big business means spend as little as possible for as much profit as possible and that, sadly, means very unhappy animals. You're only safe bet, is going straight to a local farm and checking out their practices yourself.
Err, technically speaking, free-range is just a concept with no solid meaning (at least to me). I don't know what makes one egg different from another when however you look at it, eggs look and taste the same. I personally don't understand why it matters. Is it the type of food chickens eat? Do outdoor chickens have poorer egg quality compared to indoor chickens that are allowed to roam freely once in a while?
The true definition of free range would be hens which forage for their food in pastures on a farm. They would have all the freedom they desire and I've heard that eggs laid by these hens tend to be tastier. Of course I don't have proof but I'd like to believe that's true. Anyway for the any other hens that are still pumped with chemicals and fed with 'layers mash' only, then even if they are allowed to walk around some enclosed backyard, to label eggs collected as 'free range' eggs is wrong and when they sell the eggs at slightly higher prices then that's theft.
Commercial eggs are raised in deplorable conditions. So it's not just that they're eating what they shouldn't, but they're sick and tortured as well. Not many could see a cow or a chicken feeding in it's own filth, falling over ill and/or dying and then eat whatever food is produced from it. These places bank on us turning a blind eye for our taste buds. This isn't even mentioning half the horrible things that go on in this industry. Lobbing off beaks, grinding up or other various ways of killing baby chicks. Mass producers have to save money.. they just care about the final, neatly packaged product and that you choose their's over the others. They know most people just care about convenience and their eggs/milk/meat definitely are. That's why they call these things an "inconvenient truth". It's easier for people to turn a blind eye than to make more ethical choices. There is a taste difference when you're actually buying properly fed eggs (and other animal products). But food isn't just about what it tastes like.. it's what you're putting in your body and inside and out, commercial eggs are just not the way they're supposed to be and come from depressing conditions. I have seen it a few times where the locals sell to a nearby grocery store though, so sometimes you can get lucky. For the few who haven't seen how these places work and want to know, just look it up on youtube.. these places have been outed a million times now and it's so beyond sad.
It is difficult to have ‘cage free' or 'free-range' eggs today. Eggs are in mass production and free-range eggs are inefficient in any way. I heard of raising chicken in musical farms but the chickens are caged. I will not believe unless I have seen how the chicken farm is operated. I believe my eggs are from the caged farms with quality controls set on them.
Well, we get our eggs from my dad's poultry farm. We are sure then that the eggs are 'free-range'. They really taste better because they are not products of artificial feeds. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for those found in markets.
I get free range eggs because they are better for you. If for no other reason than chickens from commercial factories do live in horrible conditions. I mean which would you rather eat? A fat farm chicken or the skinny and/or sick chickens from one of those factories?
My neighbors have chickens and they give us eggs so I guess they are free range! I love having fresh eggs and I'll definitely miss them if we ever move. As for store bought eggs, don't they have to be certified to make those types of claims? I'm sure there are ways around it but in general I'd take it for face value.
I see what you mean, and I've often wondered the same thing. Sort of like how a lot of bottled water is actually LESS filtered and regulated than tap in some places...it really makes you wonder if you're spending more money for a good reason at all and more significantly if you're actually investing in your health at all. Hard to feel entirely secure in it.
I buy free range whenever I can, but sometimes the price difference is extreme. Right now I have to be careful budget wise, but my brother does pick his own from the Farmers Market, but pays a lot for them. In specialist delis they sell organic eggs too, but not everyone can afford them. Again it seems organic food is a matter or rich versus poor and it shouldn't be. We have to trust the labels and packaging, so brands are important and I try to stick to ones that are reputable.
You will have to find out what the definition of Free Range is. I have heard it can mean as little as a few minutes being shooed outside and then back in again. Truly free range eggs are far superior to caged ones because the hens get to forage for grub, and all the nutrients is passed onto the egg. We have chickens at some friends' place and they run around all day getting grub and worms and the difference in the eggs is ingredible. The yokes are orange and taste just amazing compared to the bland, pale store bought ones. The shells are also much harder, which is a sign of good nutrition as the shell protects the chick. Thin shelled eggs means the hen had poor nutrition.
Okay, I've read a lot of flak against free-range eggs, but I've really found a difference with one brand. I buy their large-size free range eggs, and I can really see a difference in quality. The yolks are never broken, and are much darker in color. Instead of pale yellow like what I usually see, the yolks of free range eggs are bright orange and are much tastier. I have bought free range eggs that looked and tasted exactly like generic eggs, though. So I guess it isn't a guarantee of quality, but if you find a good brand, then the price increase can be worth it.
The absolute only way to know what you're getting is if you go straight to the source and see how they get their end product. You can change anything about the appearance of an egg with how you feed them, so it's not always an indication.. especially of how they're treated. It's highly unlikely a mass producer will have well treated and well fed birds producing their eggs for them. If it's important to you, go see for yourself. If it's not that important to you, then don't worry about labels in a grocery store, they're very likely all the same. You're allowed to be sneaky on labels unfortunately and all these new "free range" "cage free" labels are mostly BS.
