What is the difference between organic eggs and vegetarian fed with no hormones added?
Well, the bit about the hormones is a bit of a red herring for the chickens. No chickens, not even the most industrially-raised ones, are given hormones. But there are differences. The organic eggs have to be fed organic feed. That means no genetically modified corn, no artificial pesticides, etc. That’s cheaper than organic corn, making a price difference. Another difference between organic and vegetarian-fed eggs is antibiotics. Organic chickens can’t be fed antibiotics. Not only is there concern about the antibiotics making it into the final product, but also the fact that antibiotic-fed chickens can be packed in tighter. Organic chickens lead slightly more comfortable lives than non-organic ones, because if you packed them in as closely they’d get sick. That said, the difference in price mostly reflects what people are willing to pay. As the bit about the hormones shows, there’s a lot of marketing going on here. No matter what the picture on the box shows, organic chickens do not r
The organic eggs (and milk) are produced by animals who are raised in keeping with organic standards. In general, they will have been fed only organic feed, and not administered antibiotics, other medicines, or hormones. Since organic feed costs more, that cost is reflected in the higher price of the organic eggs (or milk). However, “organic” doesn’t mean that the animals were necessarily treated in a happy way – and in many cases, the large organic farms are not much better than regular factory farms, only with organic feed. Here is an informative article that takes a look at Horizon Organic’s treatment of their dairy herds. It’s very unlike the picture they probably want customers to believe. The eggs that are merely labeled “vegetarian
Organic egg production is the production of eggs through organic means. In this process, the poultry are fed organic feed. The poultry must have access to the outdoors and are in a cage-free environment. Organic egg producers cannot use antibiotics except during an infectious outbreak. Only natural molting can occur within the flock; forced molting is not allowed. Organic feed is grown by certified organic farmers. To become a certified organic farmer, the crop must be free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The crop must be free of GMOs and synthetic fertilization for three years before it can be certified for organic usage. If the crop is contaminated by cross-fertilization, the crop is rendered useless for organic grading. Finally, there can be no animal by-products fed to the poultry. The organic poultry industry remains dependent upon synthetic forms of methionine. Use of synthetic methionine in organic poultry production was to be phased out by October 2005, but an extensi
Well, the bit about the hormones is a bit of a red herring for the chickens. No chickens, not even the most industrially-raised ones, are given hormones. But there are differences. The organic eggs have to be fed organic feed. That means no genetically modified corn, no artificial pesticides, etc. That’s cheaper than organic corn, making a price difference. Another difference between organic and vegetarian-fed eggs is antibiotics. Organic chickens can’t be fed antibiotics. Not only is there concern about the antibiotics making it into the final product, but also the fact that antibiotic-fed chickens can be packed in tighter. Organic chickens lead slightly more comfortable lives than non-organic ones, because if you packed them in as closely they’d get sick. That said, the difference in price mostly reflects what people are willing to pay. As the bit about the hormones shows, there’s a lot of marketing going on here. No matter what the picture on the box shows, organic chickens do not r
