By JanteZiarra
Remember the time when commercials boasted the incredible edible egg? Buying eggs seemed much simpler then. Now a visit to grocery store has you choosing from white eggs, brown eggs, organic, cage-free, free-range and pasture-raised. Are they all incredible?
If you’ve purchased cage-free and free-range eggs, you’ve probably envisioned hens roaming an open field, free to graze. In reality, cage-free hens have just 1 square foot and no outdoor access, while free-range hens have 2 square feet and limited outdoor access. Factory farmed hens are even worse, confined to cages with less than a square foot of space.
Vital Farms have introduced “pasture-raised” eggs to the market and are the only national suppliers for pasture-raised eggs. Their hens are free of antibiotics and hormones, eat a salad-based diet and are raised to the highest standard of the Certified Humane program, which means they each get 108 square feet to roam and forage.
Because these hens live a healthy life, the pasture-raised eggs have a significantly higher amount of nutrition than factory-farmed eggs. These hens are able to get fresh air, bask in sunshine, roam in pastures free of chemicals and pesticides and as a result, are able to create eggs that have higher levels of vitamins A, D, and E, Omega-3s and beta-carotene.
In the Southern California market, Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs are called “Alfresco Eggs” and can be found in select grocery stores such as: Vons, Pavilions, Bristol Farms, Ralph’s, Mother’s Market and Whole Foods. These pasture-raised eggs retail anywhere from five to ten dollars.
Aside from the ethical treatment of hens, Vital Farms also provide their 50 family farms across the country with a living wage.
So next time you’re buying eggs, opt for pasture-raised eggs and support the good cause.
Find out more about Vital Farms by visiting their website atvitalfarms.com.
