Why You Don't Want to Buy Organic Eggs at the Grocery Store

[Koalamom]

This article was just posted on mercolas website.

You would think that organic eggs would be your best choice when picking them up at the grocery store. However, most states have laws that make them illegal unless all the eggs that are sold commercially are processed in a way that could damage them.

Some states require that all eggs receive a chlorine bath and mineral oil coating before they are nestled into their cartons.

There are vast differences in how eggs are processed and handled, even under the "certified organic" label.

As it turns out, what happens outside the shell is as important as what happens inside the shell, and that is the focus of this report.

Ideally, eggs should be processed the day after they are laid. The USDA requires processing within 30 days of lay. High quality eggs are processed within seven days of lay.

Egg processing involves the following six steps:

1. Egg collecting
2. Cooling
3. Cleaning/Disinfecting
4. Candling (a measure for assessing the interior quality of the eggs whereby eggs are held up in front of a high-intensity light and visually examined; among other problems, cracks can be identified that necessitate disposal of the egg)
5. Grading
6. Packing/Labeling

It is the cleaning process that you as a consumer should be aware of, because in this step, chemicals and contaminants may be introduced that compromise your eggs' quality.

More in article...

[marimara]

My farmer's markets have taken them out of the chicken houses and put them in a basket for us to take home. Sometimes when I get there I ask them if they have any eggs. She might say, hold on let me go check and go out back and come back with some eggs taken directly from outside. Talk about fresh! I usually have to wash them myself.

[phathui5]

Why does the USDA have to mess with everything? I thought we were doing good buying organic eggs at Wegman's.

[tolovemercy]

Originally Posted by phathui5

Why does the USDA have to mess with everything? I thought we were doing good buying organic eggs at Wegman's.

Seriously. Currently we don't have a source of farm-fresh eggs, and the article was disheartening to say the very least. Sigh. More motivation to find a good farm.

[Bensmommy]

I'm so glad we have our girls out back

They go from the nest to the fridge (because we generally have a surplus and I can't keep that many on the counter) to the bowl/pan-- no wash, no candle, nothin'...

We laugh at how most of our eggs wouldn't make the cut in the commercial market- odd shapes (too long and pointy, sometimes bumpy), odd colors, too big, too little, etc.

The FDA doesn't know what they're missing!

[Koalamom]

It's really the best to get it local; this is good motivation to find someone. There are people raising chickens everywhere!

[lorelei]

That's so gross!
We get our eggs as often as we can from a local farmer.

I'd love to keep chickens in our back yard, but our town doesn't allow it. Yet! I just met a neighbor this week who was keeping them, but had to get rid of them because they're not allowed. So hopefully we'll get some urban chickens going on here soon!

[Llyra]

I went and asked my egg guy at our farmer's market how he "processes" his eggs. He looked at me oddly, like he wasn't sure what I meant. Then he realized, I think, what I was trying to ask, and he told me he picks them up and puts them into cartons. And that if they're really dirty, he might rinse them in some water first.

That said, I do depend on certified-organic supermarket eggs in the winter, and I'm resigned to it. Not everything can be perfect all the time.

[_ktg_]

Oh this makes me so excited about finally getting us switched over to our egg guy at the farmer's market instead of the grocery store.

[Arduinna]

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that these articles are designed to just make people want to give up and just buy the factory farmed stuff?

[Ellp]

Have any of you who get farm fresh eggs ever recieved a bad one?

Our city just approved backyard chickens and although I would love to get some, Dh would probably vigorously disapprove. We also have wildcats, bears, raccoons and occasionally birds of prey in the area so I don't know if I'd want to invite them to our place!

[Arduinna]

a bad egg? When we had the land and the zoning we have ducks, geese and chickens along with turkeys. I'd check for eggs 2x a day when I went out to milk and feed the livestock. I can't remember ever getting a bad egg, but I suppose it's possible. It's not anything to worry about though, just crack your eggs once at a time and add them one at a time to your dish just in case, you can get a bad store bought one too.

[snowbunny]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that these articles are designed to just make people want to give up and just buy the factory farmed stuff?

No - but organic animal foods are often factory farmed. The difference really amounts to the feed.

Also - they have this law in Colorado and are requiring it of EVERY single farmer selling ANY eggs outside the farm. So if you ever sell even 1 dozen backyard chicken eggs at a market or farmstand or anywhere other than your property, you're subject to inspection, licensure and you have to disinfect, candle your eggs plus follow a slew of other odd regs.

Me? I eat illegal eggs.

[chaoticzenmom]

I took pictures of the difference between some "organic free-range" eggs that I got and the ones I had from my backyard.
I don't think I can post the link but it's on my blog under backyard chickens, down at the very bottom. Crazy.

Even still, I"d choose organic over non-organic whenever I could afford it. I do buy grocery store eggs from time to time for hard-boiling. I like the easy to peel shells and no blood spots that occur occasionally in my backyard eggs.