Why Eggs Without Hormones and Without Antibiotics Aren’t Worth the Extra Money
You’ve probably guessed that “natural” on the product label means very little . But what about more specific labels, like hormone-free or antibiotic-free eggs? In many cases, egg labels indicate little or no difference.
“Without hormones,” for example, sounds like an egg producer is raising chickens in a more old-fashioned way than their peers. But the added hormones cannot be used in poultry at all . So this shortcut doesn’t make sense as a comparison tool.
“Antibiotic-free rearing” sounds good too (and it is true that antibiotic use in livestock is a major public health concern), but antibiotics are also not commonly used in laying hens .
Omega-3 eggs do contain more omega-3 fatty acids than other mass-produced eggs, so they can be a good choice for a healthy diet. But the label often comes from farms that feed their chickens with omega-3 supplements (from flax or seafood) along with regular corn-based feed. This is somewhat similar to the nutrient content of chickens, which are their natural hens, frolic in the pasture, and eat insects and weeds.
By the way: “Free range” does not mean that chickens frolic in the grass, eating beetles. It may , but more often than not , free-range chickens live in a crowded barn that has little access to an open yard. If you are looking for truly grazed eggs, look for the “grazing” label and do your farm housework; some chickens are more reliably grazed than others.
NPR debunks even more commonly used terms in the link below, so take a look if you want to know if “fresh from the farm” or “organic” means what you think.
Farm Fresh? Natural? Eggs are not always what they really were | NPR
Photo by Moyan Brenn .