used to make liquid, frozen, and dried egg products.
Vegetarian-Fed: The only thing this label means is that the
hens are fed a diet based on corn (which is usually
genetically modified). To ensure that the hens consume a
strictly vegetarian diet, they are kept in cages. But chickens
are natural omnivores: they evolved to eat insects, worms,
and grubs as well as grass and grains. They weren’t meant
to be vegetarians!
Certified Organic: This label means that the hens are not
kept in cages but in barns. They are required to have access
to the sun, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can go
outside; there may be a small window in the barn for
sunlight. The hens are fed an organic, vegetarian diet that is
free from antibiotics and pesticides. This label is regulated
with inspections.
Free-Range or Cage-Free: This sounds like a good choice,
right? Well, all this label really means is that the hens are not
caged. However, there is no requirement to let the hens
outside, there are no mandatory inspections to regulate this
claim, and there are no guidelines for what the birds are fed.
Omega-3 Enriched: This label indicates that the hens’ feed
has extra omega-3 fatty acids added to it in the form of
flaxseed. But eggs already are a good source of omega-3s,
so there’s no need to seek out eggs bearing this label.
Since most of the terms used on egg labels don’t really help
us figure out which eggs are healthiest, here are some