Are the organic eggs you buy in stores really organic? According to this Washington Post article, they might not be.
"Why the hell am I paying more for this?" Major egg operation houses "USDA Organic" hens at three per square foot.
By Peter Whoriskey
Image from article
Now, I don't believe everything I read in The Washington Post, but this I can believe. You can tell just from the picture of the "farm" that the chickens there are not roaming around outside on grass and eating bugs. According to the article 10% of the "organic eggs" sold in the US come from this facility in Saranac, Michigan and they are sold under the Eggland's Best label. So, Wal-mart, go figure.
I can't say that I'm an expert on the United States Department of Agriculture requirements for organic chicken eggs, but it sure looks like these "organic" chickens are being raised in a very similar manner to non-organic chickens. They might just be meeting all of the USDA requirements, in which case, those requirements are a bunch of baloney. And I can certainly believe that our federal government has regulations that are a bunch of baloney.
The article pointed me to an organization that is a watchdog group trying to keep organic standards from weakening, called The Cornucopia Institute.
Link - https://www.cornucopia.org/
I'd never heard of them, and can't endorse what they're doing one way or the other, but I found their Organic Egg Scorecard fascinating.
Link and screenshot - https://www.cornucopia.org/organic-egg-scorecard/
They also have an organic dairy scorecard some of you might find interesting. The same author in a previous Washington Post story had some interesting information about organic milk.
How millions of cartons of ‘organic’ milk contain an oil brewed in industrial vats of algae
Image from article
All of this leads to the question, "Can you trust the USDA Organic label on the food in your grocery store?"
I'm beginning to think the answer to that is no. Not to say its all bad, or they are all "cheating", but it sure does look like major producers are skirting the rules and getting the rules changed to their own benefit and to the detriment of the consumers.
I guess the lesson here is that if you really care about the quality of your food and how that food is produced, its still a buyer beware market for organics. It is better to know where your food comes from and be comfortable with their methods of production. A USDA organic label might not mean much at all. Perhaps buying local, even if its not "Certified USDA Organic", is the better route to take. Or better yet, GROW YOUR OWN!
Now I've got to get back to packing, I've got a big move ahead of me. Take care folks! See you in a few...
this is why I try to buy from the source as much as possible. I know I am not going to be able to get all the crap 100% out of our diet but I can lessen the exposure, by buying local directly from farmers
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I think that is a wise approach. Its just impossible to know where everything comes from and hows its produced unless you do it yourself. Kinda sad. Buying locally really does seem like the best avenue we have. Thanks!
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You definitely make some very good point for why one should beware of what and from whom they buy their food from.
Perhaps this might clarify though:
"Free Range" and "Organic" are not generally consider to be one in the same.
You can have non-organic free range chicken eggs for example.
Organic has mostly to do with the food they are fed and the absence of hormone injections/exposures to toxins (among other things obviously)
Free Range is only about whether or not they are able to roam... "freely" in a larger area instead of caged all the time.
Hope this helps. Totally not defending this company in any way. I just believe that this is probably why they are able to call them "Organic."
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Its just hard for me to believe any animals raised in complete confinement can be labeled organic. Here's a paragraph from article.
"Under USDA requirements, organic livestock are supposed to have access to the “outdoors,” get “direct sunlight” and “fresh air.” The rules prohibit “continuous total confinement of any animal indoors.” Organic livestock are supposed to be able to engage in their “natural behavior,” and for chickens, that means foraging on the ground for food, dust-bathing and even short flights."
How can they be organic if they are not free range? Well, because the government says so, I guess.
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Well according to that paragraph I don't see how...
I was always under the impression that they were not considered to be one in the same. perhaps rules have changed.. I donno.
Makes sense tho!
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The labels for chickens and eggs have gotten complicated. Free range, to me, means they can wander around outside wherever. Cage free, means they aren't kept in cages their whole life, but they are still kept within fences outside like most homesteaders do with the portable electric fencing. Joel Salatin uses the term pasture raised chickens, because they are raised in cages on a pasture and moved every day.
But I think you're right that at the very least, "organic" chickens and eggs should mean their food is organic and they aren't pumped full of drugs and stuff. And then cage-free or free-range is a different label describing their living conditions. I don't know either, man, I just want to raise some of my own or know where they are coming from.
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I guess that's why (if you care) you need to be very careful about reading food labels. Furthermore going the extra mile to do some added research goes along way since labels are all to often intentionally misleading.
Take the word "lite" for example. Means less fat, however, way more sugar and also what is the process for removing the fat... all the consumer hears is better for you.
Same with alternatives to refined sugar. Apparently sweeteners aren't any better or in some case worse.
I read that aspartame is trying (or there was talk about them trying) to rebrand as "Aminosweet." lol
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It was wrong of me to say this, "How can they be organic if they are not free-range?"
Free range wasn't the right term for me to use. I do think chickens and eggs can be organic without being free-range. Its actually very hard to free-range chickens, you've got to have fences somewhere.
I'm now thinking my definition of organic chicken and eggs would be that they are raised outside on grass/plants, and are fed organic feed without drugs and stuff.
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The USDUHHHH should be the last organization we should trust!
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lol. So right. I loved that the first time I heard Joel Salatin say it. Still love it. Thanks.
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Yep, grown your own, get chickens if possible and go local. Local Farmers makets and co-ops are great opportunities to purchase organics. I have been shifting that way for the past year. Add non-GMOs to the list of products that are mislabeled often🐓🐓
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It some areas they have lots of great farmer's markets and CSAs, I hope that keeps growing. Smaller local farms are often not certified organic, so they have to avoid using that term, which I don't think is right. Yup, GMOs on labels aren't always listed either. Ugh. Its hard, and expensive, to go all in with more natural foods but I applaud everyone doing something. I would like to do a lot more myself.
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It's true . We just do the best we can. Share what we have and work towards healthier food products. Thanks for checking in. 🐓🐓
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very true you can not be 100% sure what you read is trustworthy in newspapers or on labels :( it's sad when your trying to save money and eat healthy that you have to second guess almost everything. what I like to know is what is what part of these huge buildings the birds are cooped up in is part of agriculture ? I see no free roaming here. thanks for sharing
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Good point, certainly looks more like a factory than anything to do with agriculture. Just seems screwed up to me that people think slapping the organic label on stuff that comes from that is ok.
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It is really hard to find totally organic chicken food. Most everything in our local feed stores have some soy in it. Free ranging is best. 🐓🐓
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This is an awesome information brother thank you for sharing. I always felt safe, warm and fuzzy whenever I saw that usda-certified organic trademark. I guess I'm going to have to start doing a little more research before I buy things with this label.
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