More egg terms, cracked

By Monica Eng
Chicago Tribune, via Charlotte Observer, September 30th, 2009

Few food purchases can scramble the brain like buying eggs these days. With choices that include organic, free-range, brown, white, natural, fertile, vegetarian-fed, omega-3, pasteurized and cage-free, a consumer could be forgiven for cracking in confusion.

These labels have implications for the way the hen was treated, fed, housed and even colored as well as how her eggs were processed after they popped out. But sometimes the labels don't mean much at all.

Here's a guide to the wild world of egg labels.

Natural: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service defines "natural" as not containing "any artificial or synthetic ingredients, and it must be minimally processed." By this definition, almost all eggs would be considered natural.

Free range: Indicates that hens have access to the outdoors, but there are no regulations on the duration or quality of access.

Pasteurized: Eggs that have been treated with heat to eliminate salmonella.

Pasture raised: Unregulated term that implies hens are raised outdoors and moved regularly in mobile hen houses. This gives them access to a variety of foods - such as bugs, and grubs - as well as chicken feed.

Fertile: Hens are raised in barns that also house roosters. The term is unregulated but implies hens are uncaged.

Animal Welfare Approved: Hens must be kept cage-free and allowed to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust bathing. Outdoor access is required at all times, and forced molting and beak cutting are prohibited. Certifies mostly family farms.

Certified Humane Raised and Handled: Hens are uncaged inside barns or warehouses and may have access to the outdoors. Includes space requirements for hens. Forced molting is prohibited, but beak cutting is permitted.

USDA organic: Hens are kept uncaged in barns or warehouses, are allowed access to the outdoors and are fed an organic, vegetarian diet free of antibiotics and pesticides. Forced molting and beak cutting are permitted.

Sources: USDA, Humane Society of the United States, Food Alliance.