Eggucation

How to select the right eggs, whether you’re interested in nutrition, animal welfare or price.

For years I’ve purchased brown eggs.

Specifically, Trader Joe’s Brown Organic Free Range Eggs.

I bypassed the cheaper options because it seemed like the healthy thing to do. I had the vague sense the brown color meant they were healthier, more natural, but I couldn’t tell you what any of the claims on the carton actually meant.

Then I stumbled across a fact that blew my mind: The color of the eggs has nothing to do with how the chickens are raised. Chickens with white feathers and white earlobes lay white eggs. Dark-feathered chickens with red earlobes lay brown eggs. That’s it. The reason brown eggs cost more is the brown-egg-laying chickens eat more than the white-egg-laying chickens, so they’re more expensive to raise.

Once I discovered the secret of brown eggs, I wondered what else I didn’t know. What’s the difference between free range and cage-free, and why are pastured eggs so expensive?

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