Free range, organic and farm egg: understand the differences
The production methods of different types of egg even interfere with their nutrients
Image: Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash
Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods in our diet, they improve our mood and are an important ingredient in many recipes (but you can almost always substitute them). Do you know how they are produced? And what are the differences between a free-range egg, an organic egg and a farm egg?
Farm eggs are those produced in a large-scale commercial system, which is why they are cheaper. The hens are housed in cages, where they are confined for up to 120 weeks, which is the time of their greatest laying performance. As they have no contact with roosters, the eggs are not fertilized (many people think that the yolk would be the embryo, but, in fact, it would be its nutrient source. Understand the problems of animal confinement in matter: "The dangers and the cruelty of animal confinement".
Even so, production is great because the farms have lighting programs: they put artificial lighting in the shed so that the “day” lasts a few more hours, so the chickens stay awake and eat longer, increasing productivity. These chickens go through the debeaking process (cutting the tip of the beak), to avoid cannibalism and self-mutilation due to the stress of light programs and because they are always trapped. In addition, they receive treatments with antibiotics, but this problem already has an alternative that the farms are slowly beginning to adopt: the use of probiotics, prebiotics and symbiotics with the poultry feed, reducing the need for medication.
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- What are prebiotic foods?
The organic egg, on the other hand, is produced in an extensive system, that is, the hens are free on the ground (which must be clean and well taken care of), and can manifest their natural behavior. They take a little longer to start and also to stop producing, but they have contact with roosters so their eggs may be fertilized (the embryo is still tiny but present). Your food must be organic, so that there is no residue in the eggs. This type of production also allows artificial lighting, but with a minimum of eight hours of darkness per day.
A study carried out at Pennsylvania State University in the United States showed that eggs from free-range hens have twice as much omega-3, 38% more vitamin A and 23% more vitamin E compared to eggs produced in a confinement system. .
The free-range egg also follows the same rule of being laid by free-range hens, but their food doesn't have to be exclusively organic. The chicken feed is all of vegetable origin and without pigmentation (which is used in the feed to artificially give a more yellowish color to the yolk). Animals cannot take medicines that stimulate growth or antibiotics. The laying of eggs takes place in covered nests, without the presence of cages.
Whichever you choose, pay close attention to the seal of the Federal Inspection Service (SIF), which guarantees that the food has been properly inspected and does not present health risks when consumed to the point or well done (rarely done food is not recommended) . This goes for all types of eggs and any other animal product.
Note: The eggshell color is only about the chicken's breed, not its breeding system. If the product is organic and/or rustic, the packaging must contain the information.
