A Natural Choice: What’s in a name?

By MiNDFOOD

A Natural Choice: What’s in a name?
Not all eggs are created equal and, more than ever, consumers are making conscious decisions when it comes to what type they use. Here, we look at the different labels and what they mean.

Organic free range

To be certified organic, eggs must come from hens kept on farms which meet and exceed the best free range standards. Check your egg carton for logos indicating that hens are raised on a certified organic farm.

Free range

Free-range hens live in barns and can go outside. Unfortunately, there is no legal definition of the term free range in Australia, so standards can vary dramatically from 750 hens per hectare to 10,000 per hectare.

Barn laid

Barn eggs are produced by hens that live cage free but have no access to the outdoors. They can perch, nest, scratch and dust bathe but are confined to large sheds. RSPCA approved – These are farms, including free range and barn laid, that meet the RSPCA’s standards. Farms are assessed every six months.

Caged hens

Battery hen eggs are still the most popular in Australia due to their price. It is thought more than 12 million hens live in battery cages in this country. Each hen has a cage the size of an A4 piece of paper, which is shared with three to five other hens.

An egg-cellent source of protein

Eggs provide a cost-effective, easy to make and nutrient-dense meal option for every day of the week.

Despite past evidence linking over-consumption of eggs with higher levels of cholesterol and increased risk of coronary heart disease – new findings have found that these concerns were unwarranted.

For good health, Australian Dietary Guidelines, recommend daily inclusion of foods from the protein group, including eggs. Two large eggs (120g) provides a whole serve of protein  as well as 11 essential vitamins and minerals.

Get Cracking

Looking for some egg-spiration? Try some of our Best Ever Egg Recipes here. 

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