Enjoying a greener diet has as much to do with social responsibility as it does with healthy living. Eggs labeled 'free-range,' 'UEP Certified' or 'natural' may seem like healthier, more humane alternatives, but these labels often have little to no bearing on animal welfare or egg quality.
American Humane Certified
Photo © American Humane Certified
American Humane Certification (previously Free Farmed Certification) requires hens to be kept uncaged; however, access to the outdoors is not required. Space requirements allow for natural behaviors like walking, perching and nesting. Forced molting is prohibited, but beak cutting is permitted.
Social Responsibility Rating - 4 out of 5
Animal Welfare Approved
Photo © Animal Welfare Approved
This certification program sets the highest standards for egg producers in the U.S. Hens must be kept cage-free and allowed to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust bathing.
Outdoor perching access is required at all times, and birds must have adequate space to roam and nest. Forced molting and beak cutting are strictly prohibited.
Social Responsibility Rating - 5 out of 5
Cage Free
Photo © David Silverman / Getty Images
Hens are kept uncaged in barns or warehouses and typically don't have access to the outdoors. Cage-free hens can perform natural behaviors such as walking and nesting, space permitting. There are no regulated space requirements for cage-free birds.
Social Responsibility Rating - 2 out of 5
Certified Humane Raised and Handled
Photo © Certified Humane
Hens are uncaged inside barns and warehouses, but they may or may not have access to the outdoors. Space requirements allow for natural behaviors, like nesting, perching and dust bathing. Forced molting is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed.
Social Responsibility Rating - 3 out of 5
Fertile
Fertile eggs come from farms that also keep roosters. Though this term is unregulated, it implies that hens are kept uncaged.
Social Responsibility Rating - 2 out of 5
Free Range
Photo © Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images
Free range hens are usually uncaged and able to engage in natural behaviors. However, hens may or may not have access to the outdoors, and if allowed outside there are no regulations concerning amount, duration, or quality of outdoor access.
Other terms that may be used to imply access to the outdoors include Free Roaming and Naturally Nested.
Social Responsibility Rating - 2 out of 5
Natural
The Natural label means little to nothing in the egg industry. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service specifies that to be labeled Natural a food product "must not contain any artificial or synthetic ingredients, and it must be minimally processed." According to this definition, virtually all eggs can be labeled as Natural.
Social Responsibility Rating - 0 out of 5
Omega-3 Enriched
Eggs that are enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids are in high demand because Omega-3 can help promote a healthy heart. To produce Omega-3 enriched eggs, hens are fed an Omega-3 enriched diet. Very often this means fish oil or fish byproducts are added to the chicken feed, though flax seed oil is an alternative.
Eggs that are Certified Organic and Omega-3 Enriched aren't commonly available because each label requires diet alterations. However, a hen that follows an organic diet supplemented with organic flax seed oil may produce eggs that carry both labels.
Social Responsibility Rating - 0 out of 5
Pasture Raised
Though this term is unregulated, the USDA describes it as follows: "birds are raised outdoors using movable enclosures located on grass and fed an organic diet and/or raised without antibiotics."
Social Responsibility Rating - 2 out of 5
United Egg Producers Certified
Photo © UEP
The majority of U.S. egg producers follow the requirements for UEP Certification. This voluntary program allows hens to be confined to battery cages. Space requirements allow for approximately 72 square inches of cage space per bird - less area than a sheet of paper. Hens are not able to perch, nest, walk, or even spread their wings.
Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is permitted.
Social Responsibility Rating - 0 out of 5
USDA Certified Organic
Photo © USDA
The USDA strictly mandates the Certified Organic egg label through third party auditing. To achieve this label, hens must be uncaged in barns or warehouses and have access to the outdoors (though temporary confinement is permitted). Additionally, hens are fed an organic, vegetarian diet that is free of antibiotics and pesticides.
Forced molting and beak trimming are permitted.
Social Responsibility Rating - 5 out of 5
Vegetarian-Fed
Hens are fed a vegetarian diet that does not contain animal by-products. Feed may or may not be organic and / or contain antibiotics.
Note that hens who have access to the outdoors might supplement their vegetarian diet with grubworms or other insects. Farmers will likely still label these hens' eggs Vegetarian since their regulated diet was vegetarian.
Social Responsibility Rating - 1 out of 5
