Welcome to a new series at Eat Clean Live Green: Shopping With A Conscience! I’ve discussed before the reasons I try to buy local, organic foods as much as possible, and why I consider Ethical Eating so important, but I realize that it can be a difficult thing to jump in head first – for your wallet, your schedule and even depending on what you have locally available!
Each week, I’m going to discuss one item – whether it’s worth the money for organic or not, if there are other substitutes you could use, and if there are any other benefits to buying each item ethically.
If you choose to buy the concsious consumer item of the week each week, the price difference to your overall budget bill will be small (and sometimes it might even go down!). As you change your grocery-shopping practices, these small changes will start to make a big difference!
If you already buy the specific item ethically – that’s excellent! I hope you share your opinions about why, and where you do so in the comment section 
This weeks Shopping With A Conscience Item of the week is eggs!
The vast majority of egg-laying hens in the United States are confined in battery cages. On average, each caged laying hen is afforded only 67 square inches of cage space—less space than a single sheet of letter-sized paper on which to live her entire life. Unable even to spread their wings, caged laying hens are among the most intensively confined animals in agribusiness. Source: US Humane Society
Buying cage-free eggs is certainly a better option than the conventionally produced eggs; the hens are able to move around, and lay their eggs in nests. However, even cage-free hens are living in extremely crowded spaces.
Free-range eggs come from chickens who have access to the outside. However, how much access is unknown. The term free-range is not regulated for egg-production in the US or Canada.
Certified Organic eggs are the best option. The chickens are cage-free, have enough room to comfortably move around, significant access to the outdoors, and are not given mammalian or animal-derived protein, antibiotics or growth hormones. Certified Organic farms are also audited on an annual basis.
At a Farmer’s Market, where you can ask what they mean by ‘free-range’ or ‘happy chickens’ – ask! Getting certified as organic is expensive, so the farmers may be following similar practices as certified organic, only without the certification.
In addition to the animal-welfare benefits of buying organic, the eggs themselves taste so much better! If you have never had an organic egg, you will be so surprised by the bright orange colour of the yolk! They are also much healthier for you:
Testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
Bottom line: if you buy eggs, organic is best. For you and the chickens!
Another way to be a conscious consumer about eggs is to look for alternatives. Flax eggs are great for baking! To substitute for 1 egg, mix 1 tbsp of flax meal and 3 tbsp of water. Let sit for a few minutes, and the flax meal will form a gel similar to eggs.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post! I try to buy free range organic as much as possible, but with the language barrier here, it isn’t often easy! People don’t realize that they may pay more for their food when they start to care where and how it came to be, but they will save in other parts of their lives (i.e. health costs) b/c sustainably ethically raised food has more nutrients in it! Thanks for educating the rest of us!
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I buy free range organic eggs and try to buy them local if they are available. I think they taste better, too
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Great post, thanks for the info. My favorite place to buy eggs is the farmers market for sure
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Great post!! Thanks for the tips!
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This is an awesome post – thanks for the great information!
Now that I’m vegetarian, eggs are my primary source of protein (I’m not a big bean person). Figuring out egg labeling and making the best ethical choice has been one of the more complicated things to navigate!
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Thanks for this. I don’t buy eggs often but when I do I’m definitely going to look for organic. Not too much difference.
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This is a wonderful post! I have been leaning towards being more conscious when buying our eggs bc the price differential I definitely feel is worth it. This post just confirmed that for sure, thanks so much for this
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(((free range eggs)))
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I only buy certified organic/free range
I would rather buy local but I haven’t found a source yet. I can buy local milk and cheese (which taste amazing!!!)
I look forward to your posts
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Thanks for clarifying the differences between cage free, free range, and certified organic. I don’t buy eggs often, but when I do I try to get them at the Farmer’s Market (best eggs ever!). At the grocery store I’ve bought cage free and free range, but now I think I will definitely go for organic if not buying from the Farmer’s Market.
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Farmers market eggs are so tasty.
Another plus to cage free/organic/free range eggs is that they rarely come in styrofoam! They usually are in recyclable paper-based crates.
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I only eat eggs laid by my own chickens! They’re ex battery hens (poor babies… we took them in to prevent them being slaughtered and they were in a hideous state
) and obviously free range, organic, healthy and happy!
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