How to Buy Eggs: What the Confusing Labels Mean

Q: I go to buy eggs at the supermarket and am overwhelmed by the terms on labels—antibiotic-free, natural, organic, free-range. Which should I choose? A: First of all, I totally feel your pain. Figuring out how to buy eggs these days practically requires a PhD. Which is a bummer because they’re so great for your health, providing protein and important vitamins like vitamin D and E, and choline, a nutrient that’s great for your brain and is hard to get elsewhere. RELATED: 7 High-Protein Breakfast Recipes to Power Your Mornings But don’t worry: I’m not going to leave you feeling totally scrambled by confusing terms and seals that make tons of promises. Here’s what you need to know. How to Buy Eggs The Bottom Line My quick-and-dirty advice is this: in the most ideal scenario, you’d buy your eggs straight from a local farmer whom you’ve verified is organic (either certified or simply doesn’t use pesticides on his or her land) and raises chickens outside, rotating them to graze on pasture, with indoor access when they need it. These happy chickens will lay the most nutritious eggs. (If you’ve ever seen the deep, orangey yolks, you get it.) Of course, you may not have access to these. At the supermarket, your best bet is eggs that are stamped with both USDA Organic and a seal related to animal welfare—either Animal Welfare Approved or Certified Humane (more on those, below). Or, consult this exhaustive guide from the Cornucopia Institute and choose the brand your store carries that has the highest rating (they’ve done the homework for you). If you want to know more about what all of the terms on the cartons really mean, keep reading to become totally egg savvy. RELATED: 7 Easy Egg Recipes for Delicious, Protein-Rich Meals Certifications on Labels That Are Verified and Reliable USDA Organic seal The organic seal is the only seriously reliable, regulated indicator of a few things: the hens that laid your eggs were only eating feed that was produced without the use of pesticides or herbicides and was GMO-free. (If GMOs are your main concern, you can also look for the Non-GMO Approved seal, which only covers genetic modification, not pesticide/herbicide use.) However, under the current National Organic Program rules, the requirement for outdoor access is vague, meaning USDA Organic far from guarantees the chickens are roaming around outside. Animal Welfare Approved seal This seal is essentially proof that the chickens are being raised outside, pecking away in a pasture and being well-taken care of. That’s good news for two reasons: you can rest assured the animals are happy, and eggs from chickens foraging on pasture have been shown to be more nutritious, containing more omega-3s and vitamin E. Certified Humane seal The Certified Humane stamp verifies producers are treating their chickens well, with basic requirements for indoor space and other farm practices. It also has its own standards for the terms free-range and pasture-raised. So if an egg carton uses one of those terms alongside the Certified Humane stamp, it verifies that hens have “daily access to an uncovered outdoor area” (free-range) or “are kept on pasture 12 months of the year, in an outside area that is mainly covered with living vegetation” (pasture-raised). Potentially Helpful Terms That Are Less Regulated Antibiotic-Free/Raised Without Antibiotics/No Antibiotics Added Antibiotics in our food system are a major issue for both human and environmental health. You don’t want them in your chicken or your eggs. Technically, the USDA does require that producers who use this term on egg cartons submit documentation showing the chickens were raised without antibiotics. However, it’s not a developed checks and balances system like an organic certification. Cage-Free The USDA says if a company uses this term, the chickens can’t be in “cages,” but they can still be kept completely inside, piled on top of each other in cramped hen houses. Free-Range The USDA says the chickens have been “allowed access to the outside.” There are no specifications on what that means, so it could mean there’s a tiny hole they can stick their body partially out of, or it could mean they actually have access to an outdoor pen. Like the difference between your friend who says she has “outdoor space” in New York City to mean she can hang her legs off a fire escape as opposed to the friend who’s got two acres of land upstate. Look for one of the animal welfare certifications to verify whether a company’s hens are really hanging out outside. Pasture-Raised This term is supposed to mean the chickens are raised in an open pasture, foraging grasses and insects, with access to a space to go inside if they want it (often a trailer) and a system for rotating them onto new areas. But again, it’s unregulated, so how producers use it varies. Look for one of the animal welfare certifications to verify whether a company’s hens are really living life in the field. Totally Meaningless Terms If a carton makes any of these claims, it doesn’t mean the eggs are worse for you, it just doesn’t mean…anything. Hormone-free This is the product of beef-industry confusion. Egg-laying chickens are never allowed to be given hormones in the US. All-natural What’s more natural than an egg? This term isn’t regulated and even if the USDA did enforce regulations, it’s unlikely artificial flavors would be added to chickens. Vegetarian-fed If you wanted the chicken to be a vegetarian…why are you eating eggs, again? Chickens are natural omnivores; they’re meant to forage for insects. The thinking behind this term may be that it’s indicating they’re not being fed animal byproducts, but it’s also unregulated, so still isn’t anything to rely on.

Carrageenan Explained: What It Is, and When and Why to Avoid Eating It

Sometimes it feels like everything we eat is so complicated. It can be really hard to say with 100% confidence that the salad dressing you love is really “clean” of fillers and junk, or the ice cream from the corner store isn’t using some food coloring that could cause an allergic reaction. You can make yourself crazy looking up the seemingly millions of food additives that are GRAS, which is an acronym for “generally regarded as safe.” Sometimes, it might seem simpler to not look at the ingredient list at all and save yourself from the potential horror. But it’s a good idea to stay informed! Educating yourself removes the stress of the unknown and gives you the opportunity to make decisions you feel good about. Today we spotlight carrageenan, a controversial food additive. How is Carrageenan Used? Carrageenan is commonly found in dairy products, where it acts as an emulsifier to keep things from separating. For example, it keeps your yogurt from getting that layer of water on the top, or your milk from getting a layer of cream floating on the surface. We’re often grossed out by foods that separate, but if the labels on our beverages simply told us to shake ’em before we consume ’em, carrageenan would be out of a job! It’s also used in a number of other foods, including everything from deli meats (where it acts as a binder) to vegan and low-fat foods (where its thickening properties come into play). You’ll also find carrageenan in non-food products, including toothpaste. Where Does Carrageenan Come From? Carrageenan is made from algae, which can be cultivated or wild. Specifically, it’s most commonly derived from varieties of red seaweed, including Irish moss, as well as elkhorn sea moss. It gets harvested from the ocean, cleaned, extracted, filtered, concentrated, mixed with chemicals, pressed, dried, milled, blended and refined. Whew! It’s not exactly nutrient-dense seaweed after all of that. Not at all. What Are the Risks of Consuming Carrageenan? There’s strong evidence linking carrageenan to cancer, GI tract damage, diabetes and inflammation. We’re not talking just a little gas or bloating—evidence suggests the additive is a factor in serious health problems. But while solid studies on animals point to this substance’s toxicity, the implications for human health have not kicked the food industry into action. I tell my clients to steer clear of carrageenan. How to Find Carrageenan-Free Foods The Cornucopia Institute has made it really easy to find carrageenan-free organic foods with a list of common brands to look for (and a few to avoid). Highlights include: Organic Valley’s buttermilk, chocolate milk, cream, eggnog, kefir, and cottage cheese Safeway’s O-brand versions of yogurt, cream, and almond-, soy- and coconut-milk beverages Whole Foods’ 365-brand versions of cottage cheese, coffee creamer, and both almond- and soy-milk beverages Trader Joe’s own brands of yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, and rice-, almond-, coconut- and soy-milk beverages — but not their cottage cheese You can find dozens more brands rated for carrageenan inclusion here. Look for These Substitutes Instead Given that carrageenan is often used to thicken foods, there are certainly other ingredients that manufacturers can use instead. One is xanthan gum, which is derived from fermented sugar and is perfectly safe for most people. Other options are guar gum or gellan gum, both commonly found in nut milks, and both thought to be safer than carrageenan. (Image: Shutterstock)