From http://www.worldpoultry.net/news/ars-no-quality-difference-between-eggs-7670.html There is no substantial quality difference between organically and conventionally produced eggs, according to findings from an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study examining various aspects of egg quality. Now I free range and sell my eggs through natural and organic grocery stores, but I was surprised to read this.
Consider the source. That said, I'm sure their lab tests for gross nutritional characteristics like protein content and stuff were valid. But who among us can't tell the difference in TASTE between our homegrown eggs and grocery store eggs? Heck we even can tell when our hens start eating fewer earth worms and more chitinous stuff like grasshoppers! Mmmm, peak of summer flavor!
we could go back and forth with this for days... for every article you find in favor, there is one against. i say, to each their own, and do what feels right to YOU! (for what it's worth i also free range and feed cert. organic feed)
I sold my son's piano teacher a dozen eggs. She cooked one for her husband who said "hey, why does this egg taste so good?" She hasn't stopped buying since. Believing is seeing.
I noticed that they did not include any kind of chart, nor did they list what components were actually measured. So if they just checked amount of fat, protein, moisture content, carbs, I've sure they're about the same. But those of us who eat free-range eggs all the time, know perfectly well that there's a difference in taste, and definitely a difference in yolk color. Shells are harder, whites are firmer. I find it hard to believe that all this easily observable differences amount to nothing at all. Independent lab tests that measure a wide variety of nutrients, show a substantial difference between free-range eggs, and factory farm eggs.
Well, they dont' mention differences with pasture raised or actual free-range eggs (not just chickens in a warehouse with no cages). Consumers see eggs labeled "organic" and automatically think of hens running through a grass pasture, but that's not the case at all. Many times big organic egg conglomerates are just doing battery cages feeding organic feed. Where's the change in that?
