Tuesday Tip

So I know I'm a day late with my Tuesday Tip, but given the recent egg salmonella scare, I thought I would give some helpful hints on what the egg labels really mean:

-Cage Free: Animals are not kept in cages, but generally they are kept inside in an enclosed building. While this is less than ideal, at least this setup gives animals a chance to spread their wings and lay eggs in nest boxes, which is closer to their natural behavior. Cage-free does not imply antibiotics were not used on hens.
-Free-Range or Free Roaming: Chickens are allowed outside of cages in barns or warehouses, but they aren't required to provide the animals any specific amount of time outside—or even exposure to sunlight indoors. There's no third-party inspection required for free-range claims.
-Organic: USDA-certified organic label means the eggs came from hens that were not enclosed in battery cages, and that must be offered access to the outdoors. Organic eggs come from hens that were fed certified-organic feed, free of antibiotics, pesticides, and other animal products. Annual inspections are required.
-Natural: means that the finished product hasn't undergone certain unnatural processes; in this case, that product is the egg. However, just because eggs are labeled natural doesn't mean a hen wasn't pumped up with antibiotics or other unnatural substances. And it certainly doesn't mean the chickens were raised in clean, humane conditions. For all intents and purposes, natural means nothing.
-Pastured: Pastured chickens should be housed on grassland in portable shelters that are periodically moved to give the chickens fresh pasture, but there's no third-party inspection required to ensure that's what's really happening.
-Omega-3 Enriched: Means hens were fed feed with an increased amount of omega-3-rich flaxseeds. However, pasture-raised hens are already higher in beneficial omega-3s, and they get to be outside.
-Certified Humane: This means birds are not kept in cages, but they can be kept indoors. They at least have the space to perform natural behaviors. The program of Human Farm Animal Care sets limits on the number of birds that can be contained in the same area, and outside inspectors perform audits. The program does not, however, require that the animals eat organic feed.
-United Egg Producers Certified: Along with "natural", it's one of the most misleading claims made on an egg carton and essentially means nothing.

Additionally, the farther you take chickens away from their natural behaviors, the worse the quality of their eggs or meat.

For more information, please read http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38832993/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/