Cracking your eggs

Egg grades

Grades are assigned by the Department of Agriculture and depend mainly on the firmness of the whites. AA eggs will hold their shape better than eggs graded A.

Cage Free

The agriculture department says this means that the chickens were not kept in cages and had continuous access to food and water. It does not mean that the chickens had access to the outdoors.

Free Range

The agriculture department says that free-range birds must meet cage free standards and have continuous access to the outdoors, unless there’s a health risk. However, there are no standards set for that outdoor area.

Pasture-raised

There is no regulation of this term. It means whatever the seller wants it to mean.

Organic

Any product with the “U.S.D.A. organic” emblem must meet the standards of the agriculture department’s National Organic Program. Among the program’s requirements: birds must be kept cage free with outdoor access (though the time and the type of access are not defined), they cannot be given antibiotics even if ill, and their food must be made from organic vegetation and free from animal by-products. (If eggs labeled "organic" do not have this program’s emblem, they may be part of an independent or state-run program with different standards.)

Vegetarian Fed

For eggs with a U.S.D.A. grade shield, “vegetarian-fed” means the eggs came from hens raised on all-vegetarian feed. As anyone who has ever watched a flock of chickens knows, however, hens are not naturally vegetarian, they enjoy eating bugs and worms. Vegetarian eggs appeal to consumers who are turned off by the animal byproducts that can be included in conventional chicken feed.

No Hormones

Since the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any hormone products for egg production, this term is meaningless.

No Antibiotics

While routine administration of antibiotics is not allowed, the Food and Drug Administration does not define or regulate the term “no antibiotics". If the eggs are U.S.D.A. graded this term means that hens did not receive therapeutic antibiotics but may still have been treated with antibiotics, if ill. If the eggs are a part of the National Organic Program then it means that antibiotics were banned entirely after chicks are 3 days old, even if ill.

Natural, Naturally Raised

These terms means whatever the producers want - eggs in the shell are not a processed food.

Fertile

An unregulated term that implies the eggs came from uncaged hens raised near a rooster. Some consumers like the idea of these more natural living conditions; others adhere to unproven beliefs that fertile eggs are more nutritious. (Fertile eggs are stored at temperatures too cold for chicks to develop.)

Omega-3

Eggs claiming to have extra omega-3 fatty acids come from hens whose diets include flaxseed or algae. Producers in the U.S.D.A. grading program are audited to make sure the layers’ diets have been fortified and that omega-enriched eggs do not get swapped out for cheaper ones. The F.D.A. can audit producers’ claims about omega-3s but typically does so only if there has been a complaint.

Pasturized

This term is regulated by the F.D.A. and refers to eggs heated to temperatures just below the coagulation point to destroy pathogens.

Animal Welfare Approved

This label is given to independent family farmers by the Animal Welfare Institute. Flocks can have no more than 500 birds, and chickens over 4 weeks old must be able to spend all their time outside on pesticide-free pasture with a variety of vegetation. They must also have access to dust baths and cannot have their beaks trimmed or be fed animal byproducts.

Certified Humane Raised and Handled - American Humane Certified

These two terms indicate that the hens are kept cage free, though not necessarily outside.

Certified Humane Raised and Handled

This term is administered by Humane Farm Animal Care, which is audited each year for reliability by the Department of Agriculture. It specifies requirements for ventilation, density and the number of perches and nesting boxes that must be provided. It requires that each hen have at least 1.5 square feet of space (324 square inches).

American Humane Certified

This label was created by the American Humane Association. Its standards prohibit forced molting and require that hens have at least 1.25 square feet of space (225 square inches).

United Egg Producers Certified

Formerly “Animal care certified,” this label is presented by the United Egg Producers, the leading trade association for egg farmers, which has standards for caged and cage-free layers. These standards permit hens to have as little as 67 square inches of space.