Sandra Keros
With last week's national
egg recall in the news, people are starting to think outside the cage - the bird cage, that is. Uber factory farm Wright County Egg, of Galt, Iowa, recalled 380 million eggs - more than one egg per every
American.
Newspapers are again reporting dissension among experts on Main Street America's belief of the past few decades that centralized food production is the best way to feed ourselves, and are indeed questioning its safety. With eggs being a common breakfast staple for most people, this issue hits home with many of us.
The egg industry has provided us with numerous terminology descriptors for its eggs, but most of them try to hide the fact that the mega farm chickens are housed either in giant barns or in a factory filled with cages. What most people don't realize is that the vast majority of eggs in big barns and cages - even supermarket organic - don't get daily natural sunlight, which is critical for Vitamin D, which it gets from the sun, and Vitamin A from the grass.
The mega barns may provide an access door to the outside ("cage free"), but it is usually pretty small in comparison with the expansiveness of the barn. As a result, the chickens view going outside with some suspicion and are usually content to hang out inside with the other chicks. Further, being in
questionable or sketchy sanitary conditions fosters disease that spreads quickly, and their concentrated waste gets dumped into the surrounding local countryside, often reportedly causing a huge stench that makes it unbearable for children playing outside and fishing in local waters an invitation to disease.
(A fascinating book on this subject is The Righteous Porkchop by Nicolette Hahn Niman.)
Here is an excerpt of different egg descriptors taken from an article in the
San Francisco Chronicle:
Cage-free - Hens can still be kept in huge closed barns housing tens of thousands of chickens.
Organic - As certified by the USDA, this label requires some outdoor exposure.
Pasture-raised - This and other higher classifications indicate outside forage on vegetation and insects.
Certified humane - Endorsed by the Humane Society of
the United States, this does not require access to the outdoors but has
standards for air quality and lighting.
Note: The science remains mixed on whether "cage-free" eggs are safer to eat than eggs from "battery cages."
Consider the Source
My mom used to always say to us kids, "consider the source". Chickens grown on small farms like our ancestors had live happy, healthy lives; as a result, there is more nutrition in each egg resulting from grass and sunlight exposure. As a bonus, the chickens provide a natural and inexpensive source for enriching the soil. And I could talk to you
til the cows come home about the creamier, almost succulent texture that local eggs offer. Mmmm! Once you've tried it, you never want to scramble with anything else!
Bottom Line
Always consider your source. Buy pasture-raised chickens from a local farmer you have talked to and trust. Next best is supermarket organic.
Your Invitation
I invite you to check out your local farmers' market and ask smaller mom-and-pop stores in your area to carry eggs from local family farms so that you and others can more easily enjoy them outside of farmers' market hours. While at the farmers' market, look for pictures of where the chickens feed on pasture, make sure the chickens spend most of their time outside, and ask what kind of feed they use and if they use any hormones or antibiotics. Chances are you'll connect not only with a greater quality and tastier food source, but you'll also feel connected with your community.
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