Are store bought eggs really as nutritious as farm fresh?

[wordgirl]

I was talking with a egg customer of mine the other day and she mentioned that someone she knew had either said or learned that there was no real nutritional difference between farm fresh eggs and store-bought. I guess I always assumed that farm fresh eggs are better for you. I've heard that eggs laid by chickens who get to free range are higher in either Omega-3's or Omega-6's (I don't remember which...) than those who are caged.

Does anyone know if there is any difference nutritionally between store-bought and farm fresh eggs?

(I've never posted in this section before...should I have put this somewhere else?

)

 

[joedie]

This is from an article in Mother Earth Magazine

LATEST RESULTS: New test results show that pastured egg producers are kicking the commercial industry's derriere when it comes to vitamin D! Eggs from hens raised on pasture show 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs. Learn more: Eggciting News!!!

RESULTS FROM OUR PREVIOUS STUDY: Eggs from hens allowed to peck on pasture are a heck of a lot better than those from chickens raised in cages! Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our 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

These amazing results come from 14 flocks around the country that range freely on pasture or are housed in moveable pens that are rotated frequently to maximize access to fresh pasture and protect the birds from predators. We had six eggs from each of the 14 pastured flocks tested by an accredited laboratory in Portland, Ore. The chart in Meet the Real Free-range Eggs (October/November 2007) shows the average nutrient content of the samples, compared with the official egg nutrient data from the USDA for “conventional” (i.e. from confined hens) eggs. The chart lists the individual results from each flock.

 

[Sillystunt]

Quote:

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Fresh eggs just taste so much better than store bought IMO.

 

[chicklips]

It sounds like it is not the egg itself which is better, it is the food/eniviroment that goes into the chicken that lays the egg that is better...thus causing the egg to be better.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
Well, yes, it is "the egg itself" that is better, because the diet/environment of the chicken is better.

The studies that I've read prove the eggs are more nutritionally complete, and if you've compared them, and tasted them, side-by-side with store-bought eggs, you'd know it, even without the studies. It stands to reason that if the flavor and color and texture are all better, the total package is better. Those things don't occur separately with no connection to the rest of the egg!

 

[Keene's coop]

i heard that store bought eggs were a little old. but how old could they really be? and do we know where the eggs are commingfrom. are they comming from the same state that they are sold in? someone told me that the little spots (they look kinda clear, but not) on the store bought eggs means that they are old. is this true?

 

[CARS]

I am so glad this came up. I am helping my daughter with a science project on this very subject.

Please post any findings you have come across to prove or dispel this myth.

 

[joedie]

Quote:
This is a really good article:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/Tests-Reveal-Healthier-Eggs.aspx

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Keene's coop :

i heard that store bought eggs were a little old. but how old could they really be? and do we know where the eggs are commingfrom. are they comming from the same state that they are sold in? someone told me that the little spots (they look kinda clear, but not) on the store bought eggs means that they are old. is this true?

How old they are depends upon market conditions. If sales are up and stock is moving, the eggs are fresher in the store. If sales are down a little the processing plants build up a surplus that is kept in cold storage. The eggs that are in cold storage may be sent to the breaker to be used for egg products or may be sold to other other regions that are experiencing shortages. Eggs are a commodity. It is not uncommon for semi trailers of shell eggs to be bought and sold between companies and trucked across the country to areas where they are needed.

Egg cartons are stamped with the day they are packed, and a Sell By date. The day packed is typically a julian date, 045 would be the 45th day of the year. The Sell By date is typically 30 days from that and is in month-day format, e.g., FEB 16. The cartons are stamped with a plant code, P-0155 or WI-005 would be examples, P codes are USDA inspected plants, two letter codes are state inspected plants. If they are processed in a state inspected plant, they typically stay in that state. Most plants are USDA inspected though. How old they are before they are packed varies and there is no way to tell. If they are bought and sold between companies they are stored on bulk pallets and would be processed at the receiving end to be placed in the buying companies own packaging, although the USDA recommends that happen within five days.

That little thin spot on the end of the shell is not an indicator of egg freshness. It's more of an indicator of the age of the hens. As the hens grow older those little thin spots become more and more common.​