Cage-free or free-range? Here’s what those egg labels really mean

In the U.S. egg consumption is on the rise—one person eats an estimated 300 eggs per year. And it’s easy to see why. 

Eggs are “one of the most bioavailable sources of protein you can eat,” said Vicki Retelny, a registered dietitian nutritionist, “meaning that the body, the muscle, really does absorb and utilize that protein from the egg very efficiently.”

Yet, those cartons of eggs range from under $2 to over $10 at grocery stores, and they vary from cage-free to organic, brown to white, “vegetable-fed” to “free-range.” 

But does organic mean what you think it does? And what labels are worth the extra money?

Learn what you’re getting for the price you’re paying.

'Conventional' eggs, from Grade A to cage-free

The cheapest eggs at the grocery store, around $2-$4 depending on where you live, are generally those collected from hens bred in captivity—200,000 or more in one barn—with little to no access to sunlight. Because of their poor living conditions, which equates to high stress, farmers often clip the hens’ beaks to prevent them from picking at their own and others’ feathers, says Kestrel Burcham, the director of domestic policy at the Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog group. 

“Their lives are brutally short. They’re essentially pushed to lay eggs at an unnatural rate, and as soon as they start to slow down because of their natural clock and how many eggs they have in them, they’re slaughtered,” Burcham says. 

Once killed, these chickens’ meat will be used in items like soups or dog food, or put in a landfill.

Terms you’ll see in this price range, and what they mean:

Grade A: Like meat grading, this term refers to the physical qualities of the eggs, like the firmness of the egg whites. 

If a carton only has Grade A on it, the chickens were most likely raised in battery cages—once the industry standard—where farmers shove thousands of chickens in cages and position them in front of a feeding trough. While the number of hens raised in this condition has shrunk over the years, almost 66% are still in battery cages, according to United Egg Producers.

Cage-free: Cage-free is the same quantity of hens in the same space as battery cages, but without the cages.

Brown: The color of the shell depends solely on the breed of hen. Some strains of chickens lay green, very dark brown, olive and even blue or lavender eggs, Burcham says.

Middle of the road 

The quality of these hens’ lives in this category are better, but depending on the brand, it may not be by much. 

Terms you’ll see in this price range, and what they mean:

Free-range: It gets tricky as third party labels—like Certified Humane and American Humane—have different definitions for free-range than the USDA’s. The government agency’s label means the hens can’t be in cages and must be able to see the outside.

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“But in reality, these huge barns can have 200,000 or more hens,” Burcham says. “The space for the outdoors will be a little concrete porch that can maybe fit five hens.”

Vegetable-fed: “Hens are not herbivores,” Burcham says. “They’re omnivores.” 

Vegetarian-fed chickens are only eating seed and aren’t feeding on their natural diet of bugs and insects. Burcham said their hens even eat mice. With a well-rounded diet, the hens lay eggs with more vitamins and omega-3s.

Big budget eggs

To find a high-quality egg from a high-quality chicken, look for “really superb outdoor access,” Burcham says. Natural foraging, socialization, and a happy hen equates directly to the quality of eggs they produce.

Terms you’ll see in this price range, and what they mean:

Pasture-raised: These hens have the largest access to the outdoors and aren’t subjected to the stress of confinement. The catch is that they’re also expensive to raise. Farmers need more land, more management, and better protection from predators, Burcham says.

Pasture-raised eggs have also been found to have higher levels of antioxidants and fatty acids compared to conventional eggs.

Despite all of the definitions, Burcham encourages consumers to do their research. In addition to these popular labels, third party groups are creating their own designations for eggs produced under certain conditions.

What does it really mean to be organic? 

To be labeled organic, multiple factors are at play, including: chicken feed free of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, restrictions on what types of drugs the chicken can receive, and outdoor access—but that doesn’t mean they’re roaming open fields, Burcham says. 

Inside the barns, farmers can use very tiny doors, which technically gives the chickens access to go outside, but the birds “have a very strong instinct to avoid predation from above,” Burcham said. Without the ability to see what’s potentially above them after they exit the door, most chickens stay inside. 

(Want to prevent food waste? Learn how to store your produce to keep it fresh.)

When it comes to cheaper-priced organic eggs, price varies widely. Store brand organic eggs are typically the “lowest quality organic eggs you can get,” says Burcham. 

These hens still get some of the organic-required qualities like natural feed and a cage-free environment, but the eggs aren’t typically what consumers would think of as organic. “Consumers usually assume that your hens [have] a high welfare environment—very outdoor-focused—and those eggs at that price point probably are not getting that.”

But the opaque organic regulations could improve with the proposed amendments to the USDA’s organic regulations, Burcham says. 

Taste the difference for yourself 

While a deep orange yolk is typically a quick way to determine egg quality, it’s not foolproof. Some farmers add spices, like cayenne pepper or cumin, to their hens’ feed to dye the yolk. The best way to tell the quality of an egg is by its taste, not by the yolk color, Burcham says.

“You will feel the oils in that yolk more, it will have a more meaty flavor,” Burcham says. “You can also sometimes taste—I don’t want to say bugs—but it tastes more like what you would get from chicken or meat.” A low-quality egg will taste like sulfur.

Loyal to a specific brand? The Cornucopia has an organic egg scorecard, which ranks the quality of organic egg brands, taking into account items including feed, flock size, animal welfare, and farmer transparency.