Why are organic, free-range eggs so expensive? Is there some sort of taste improvement in the eggs? Are they more healthy? They certainly cost a heck of a lot more. Is it worth it to pay twice as much just so chickens have more satisfactory lives?
If you read the packages, you'll probably find these three phrases on each: organic, free-range, and hormone-free. What do these terms mean?
The word "organic" means the chickens who produced these eggs were fed all-natural feed, not feed produced under the influence of pesticides, and this means you get to eat natural eggs, untainted by pesticides. If you buy eggs from chickens who have been fed organic feed, you’re paying to avoid the risk of pesticides.
If the eggs are labeled "hormone-free", this means the chickens were not injected or fed hormones to make them grow really fat or be disease-resistant or to turn into mega-egg producers. There is growing concern about the impact of these hormones on people, so you are paying more so you don't have to worry about the possible impact of those hormones on your body.
If the package of eggs says free-range, that means the chickens were raised on a normal farm, able to run around, instead of in a huge chicken house where the chicken spends her entire life in a tiny cage, unable to even move. Chickens who live in these mega-henhouses are often unhealthy, since they are stacked one on top of another, unable to move even to eat, drink, or defecate. So yes, if you buy free-range eggs, you are paying for the chickens to have somewhat decent chicken lives, but you're also paying for those chickens to be healthy.
The ultimate question: Do organic, free-range, hormone-free eggs taste better? Most people don't notice a difference in taste. The bottom line is this: buy the pricier eggs if you care about avoiding hormones, chemicals, and if you care about the quality of chicken lives.
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