Like eating with the seasons, eating what's not genetically modified and eating animal-based food that's raised and handled in accordance with nature and slaughtered humanely, understanding the facts about eggs and egg production has entailed much research.
In my quest to find 100% organic free-range meat, I stumbled on a farm not 20km north of my home that raises seasonal lamb, beef and goat; as well as laying hens. But first, a little background.
Floating toward more ecologically sustainable and healthier foods I started reading labels very carefully, paying attention to every detail of where it came from and how it was procured. I quickly learned, however, that like the "organic" label in the late 90s, the free-range label has almost virtually unregulated, allowing pretty much any factory "farm" to label the dubious claim on packaging. And this goes without mentioning ecological sustainability of foods, especially wild-caught sea food.
Until regulations are clearer, grocers and farmers will continue to make these dubious claims and thus a lot of vigilance is required on the part of anyone wanting to eat ethically. Fortunately there are a few simple rules to keep in mind that will help you learn what to expect; although be ready to be disappointed on occasion as you won't know until you try.
I mentioned in a previous entry how to spot a real free-range chicken; although you won't know until you taste it. The same rule applies with meat in general. Free range meat essentially has more colour and much more flavour. But if you're not sure, the best thing to do is track down the farmer. Ha! Not so easy. If you get your meat from a grocery store it likely comes from Ontario, Alberta or the US and probably nowhere near you. Nor would they ever let you visit or respond candidly to your questions. If you can find a local farmer, I suggest setting up a seasonal order of meat so that you know where it's coming from, how the animals are treated, and all this can be verified with your own eyes. The farmer that I'm now ordering from is willing to give full tours so I saw with my own two eyes the wide-open fields several acres in size where livestock can literally run, bond with their peers, raise their young, and play. I pet the lambs and even lended a hand in herding a cow that was fearful of crossing a small cliff to get to where the rest of the cattle were. I even met the layer hens, hanging out with the farmhouse cat, and who would, shockingly, approach you clucking friendly and even let you handle them.
I also learned a lot.
Suffice it to say, if you're interested in learning more and don't have a free-range organic farm close by, I recommend some bedtime reading: Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/In-Defense-Of-Food-Michael-Pollan/9781594201455-item.html?pticket=pjn3avyz2zh3bwzl4qkzl4ryRJJF8I20%2f2HWWCXsXs0yOc8wEIE%3d) and Jonathan Foer's "Eating Animals" (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/search?keywords=eating%20animals&pageSize=10).
The bottom line is that ethical eating takes work, dedication and sometimes tough decisions. But I'm of the mind that dedicating my efforts to it and eventually passing it down will push the market further in the right direction, and certainly improvement can be seen all across the food industry (except the poultry industry where it is steadily getting worse).
So on that note, free range eggs. How do you know? Sadly, after you crack it open. But here's a few hints:
1) It is rare if not unheard of the find a truly free-range egg producer in a grocery store. The free-range labelling is absolute hogwash. The free-range term can be used for example, simply when the hen is not confined to a wired cage. If six thousand hens have only a few hundred square feet, which incidentally is covered in three inches of shit (thus they avoid leaving their perch anyway), then this passes the legal definition of free-range. You need to find a specialty distributor (occasionally whole food stores) or go directly to the farmer.
2) Free-range eggs will never be uniform in size or colour. The low-tech operations and low output of an actual free-range farm makes size sorting inefficient so all shapes and sizes are packaged together.
3) If it's a large-scale company or brand name, it cannot be free-range.
4) And this is one of the most crucial - like meat the free range egg is much darker and has much more flavour. Simple rule, free range yolk is orange, factory is pale yellow.
Now you know.
