I started to do some research and came across a video that looks interesting. I'll watch it later.
There may be varying opinions on what each means but I'm sure the state has it's rules. I suppose it's what you choose for them to mean.
PHOTO: A new federal bill would phase out "battery cages" and require labeling on all egg cartons. Courtesy of HSUS.
May 15, 2013
NEW YORK - Whether they buy "cage-free," "free range," "pasture-raised" or just "eggs," a growing number of people are concerned with where and how their food is produced. A new bill in Congress would make egg-labeling mandatory, as well as adding more humane living standards for millions of egg-laying hens in the United States.
Egg cartons currently do not have to be labeled for sale, said Paul Shapiro, vice president for farm animal protection at the Humane Society of the United States, and those that are labeled can be confusing. He said nine out of 10 cartons are from hens that live in "battery cages."
"These are the cages that are so cramped that each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live for more than a year before she's slaughtered," he said. "It really is difficult to imagine a more miserable existence."
Shapiro said egg-labeling options can include:
"Cage free," which means birds are able to stretch and are not in cages.
"Free-range," which could mean hens have some outdoor access.
"Pasture-raised," which should mean that hens are laying eggs outside.
There are no current industry rules and the living standards are not always clear, but Shapiro said any of those options is preferable to battery cages, which already have been banned in the European Union.
- See more at:
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/32486-1#sthash.1vSYAlSS.dpuf