If you’ve bought fresh eggs from a farmer whose chickens are pastured, you’ve probably sensed that the eggs are better for you.  This isn’t just an elaborate justification of spending a few more dollars for eggs; these eggs tend to have dark yolks and a rich flavor.  They’re just more delicious than supermarket eggs.

Now there’s another study to back this up.  Mother Earth News  took nutritional information from pastured eggs from 14 flocks of chickens around the country.  The results?  Significantly higher levels of nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and beta carotene than the levels found in supermarket eggs.  I found this out while talking to the folks from Skagit River Ranch, producers of pastured eggs and meat in Sedro-Woolley, WA; their eggs were among those selected for testing.  They were like proud parents about the results.

I’ll keep buying the eggs.  At an average of $4 - $5 a dozen, and if two eggs makes a meal, that’s something like 75 cents a meal for all those nutrients.  Plus, it’s sensible and delicious, if you can afford to, to support sustainable practices such as pasture-raising animals.

So what’s the difference between pastured and free range?  Doesn’t free range mean the chicken gets to go anywhere it wants, including into the sunset on a horse while wearing a big hat?   Actually, “free range” means only that the chicken has access to the outdoors which often means there’s a tiny open door somewhere at the end of the crowded henhouse, leading to a place with nothing tasty to eat, and the chickens don’t go outside anyway.  Plus, there’s actually no legal definition of free range eggs.  Makes you wonder about the ones you see at the supermarket.

Pastured has a pretty specific meaning.  I don’t think there’s any legal meaning attached to it yet, honestly, but I’m also not seeing any eggs labeled “pastured” at stores; I’m relying on conversations with farmers.  Pastured eggs come from chickens who are either roaming around where they please on a farm or are in a portable outdoor enclosure that is constantly moved to new pasture.  For more information on pastured poultry, see here.

It would be great to see all eggs this nutritious, not to mention coming from chickens raised humanely (chickanely?).  What’s the answer?  Increase awareness about the health benefits from pastured eggs (and meats)?  Perhaps subsidies for pasturing poultry and meat to lower the cost of healthy food, encourage more production, and make it more accessible? 

I don’t know.  I’m going to go make an omelet and think about it.