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Food manufacturers have attempted to demonize eggs for decades. It is infinitely more profitable to convince the public to eat Egg Beaters and processed vegetable oils than to encourage them to consume the non-patentable perfection that is the egg.
Even folks who see through the marketing hype against eggs that is cleverly disguised as “science” frequently get waylaid by the free range and organic eggs labeling on egg cartons.
The truth is that buying organic, free range eggs from the supermarket or healthfood store is no guarantee that the birds lived a healthy life. What’s more, the eggs may not even be that nutrient dense. You’re safer buying duck eggs or goose eggs as these types of birds are more resistant to industrialized living. Even when domesticated, they eat more closely to their native diet than chickens.
Let’s take a look at why organic chicken eggs are a scam.
Organic Eggs Reality Check #1
Did you know that there are no requirements for the quality or amount of time spent outside for organic eggs or even free range eggs? This means that organic eggs could actually be from hens who get basically no bugs in their diet from pecking in the ground. If the hens don’t get to peck around in the ground for grubs and insects, the eggs they produce will have drastically reduced nutritional value – organic or not.
Organic Eggs Reality Check #2
Did you know that the hens from a free range or organic eggs farm can still have their beaks cut and be subjected to forced molting which involves starving them for 7-14 days which can in some cases kill them?
Organic Eggs Reality Check #3
Organic eggs marked as “cage free” does not mean that the hens have access to the outdoors or even daylight! The hens could actually be running around inside with artificial lighting on a concrete floor and the eggs still qualify as cage free!
The only way to get truly healthy eggs where you can be sure the hens are not abused is to buy local from a farmer you trust, not organic eggs from the store!
There is no way around this folks that I have found. You must start connecting with the people in your community if you really want to source some decent eggs!
Folks in my buying club regularly tell me how shocked they are when they run out of the eggs sourced locally and buy a carton of organic eggs from the store how puny, pathetic and bland tasting they are. They are also incredibly expensive.
Not only will you more than likely save yourself some money buying eggs locally, you will also be helping a local business remain viable and improving the nutrient density of your diet all at the same time!
Organic eggs most definitely does not always mean better!
Need more egg recipes once you’ve found a quality local source? Try these breakfast egg ideas, easy lunch egg recipes, and dinner egg recipes for inspiration!
Below is a fantastic infographic on the reality behind the egg industry created by Kristin Lindquist. What factoids did you find most alarming?
More Information
Best Egg Substitute (plus Video)
Organic Store Eggs Just Don’t Stack Up
What Oxidizes the Cholesterol in Eggs?
Think You Have Fresh Eggs? Here’s How to Tell
Thanks for the info Sarah! I buy eggs and raw milk from a local farmer and they do taste much better than store bought eggs. After reading this article i wanted to verify so i asked my farmer if her eggs are fed GMO grains (she says they are free range and live outside, eat bugs n all) and she repled with “The Natural free range eggs
($3.75/doz) get grain that might have GMO in the mix”!! i was horrified and am not going to get my eggs there anymore :(. I hate that i was feeding these egg yolks to my baby thinking that I`m giving her the healthiest stuff available 🙁 . oh well i know now to always always get all the info first.
Sarah, Thanks for the info, (and the interesting debates above 😉
I’ve been looking into organic eggs and poultry for my own diet. I haven’t been able to find any local egg producers. The closest one is an hour away and I am not willing to drive 2 hours just for a dozen eggs.
I have the land to raise my own, but we have coyotes and bears. We have to lock our cats up at night and the ignorant city-moved-to-country-because-they-could-afford-it neighbors complain about loosing pets to the “wild dogs” and they have woke up to find rabbit hutches torn open with ‘missing’ rabbits… so If I want to keep chickens, I’d have to cage them securely, which kind-of negates the purpose of raising my own, because they won’t be cage-free.
What solution would you recommend?
Given that most soy and corn in the United States of America is now genetically engineered, aka Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), I look for but haven’t yet found, in local stores and farmers markets, eggs from hens fed feeds free from soy & corn, although a few farms advertise soy-free feeds. 100% organically fed & pastured hens are a minimum requirement for optimum health, of course. A book, Beyond Broccoli, by a former vegan, Susan Schenck, is helpful in its explanation of the value of egg yolks, especially raw. The egg whites contain avidin, which , when raw, destroys biotin, an essential B vitamin. As a former farm-worker, I witnessed many occurrences of farmers’ deception and lying by omission. You’ll need more than luck in your search. Like many other foods, over frequent consumption of eggs has sometimes resulted in an egg allergy, as cited by Susan in her book on page 143 where Dr. Ben Kim advises eating three to five servings (two eggs per serving) per week. However, see also Kern, Jr, “Normal plasma cholesterol in an 88-year-old man who eats 25 eggs a day. Mechanisms of adaption,” N Engl J Med, 28 May 1991, 324 (13):896-99. Susan cited that example in her book on the same page 143, so allergy is apparently dependent on the individual human and on the eggs themselves.
Sarah, When buying pastured eggs from a local farm, how should we wash them before use? Also, site your source please so I can look into this further. Thanks so much!
I eat eggs from pastured hens almost every day. There is no more convenient, nutritious food in my book, but I just read an older blog post on Marksdailyapple.com, in which Sisson warns that eating eggs every day puts you at risk for developing an egg allergy. Does that make sense? Has anyone had this experience?
This is a terrific site, will you be involved in doing an interview about how you designed it? If so e-mail me!
Kelly I would go local also. The reason why is that a local farmer selling eggs is likely feeding those eggs to his family and friends so he feels pretty good about the quality!! He is putting his name on the line. Commercial organic you are always taking a risk, some farmers care and some don’t. Some farmers raise organic cause providing a quality product from a healthy animals matters to us and some do it cause organic farmers make more money… especially in commercial where the farmer has no additional costs for organic feed cause that is paid by the owner of the birds (broker).