Health

The crack on eggs

“I’ll have my Omega 3 barn-laid eggs poached, yolks still runny please”

Remember the film LA Story when taking the coffee order was more complicated than a six-course banquet? It’s happening with eggs. Fresh eggs, barn-laid, free range, vegetarian eggs, omega 3 eggs, organic free range … the list is endless. But what do they all mean and is paying up to $2 extra justified?

Fresh eggs make up approximately 90 percent of egg sales today. Hens are kept confined in small cages in a controlled environment.

Barn-laid eggs get their name when laying hens are given sufficient space to move and behave normally. They can bathe, flap their wings, socialise and lay their eggs in nests. Barns-laid eggs have an RSPCA stamp of approval on the packaging.

Free-range eggs are produced from hens that are free to roam outside during daylight hours.

Organic free range eggs are produced by hens free to roam on paddocks where no pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilisers are used at any time. This also applies to the land where the feed they consume was grown.

Omega 3 or “body eggs” — Eggs fortified with Omega 3 occur when the hen is given special feed containing Omega 3, e.g. linseed.

Vegetarian eggs are produced by hens fed only on grain and non-animal products.

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