Egg Guide: Cage Free vs Free Range vs. Pasture Raised vs. Organic Eggs

Written By Carolyn Ken

There are so many different types of eggs. Back in the day when my mom used to shop for us, organic eggs were the gold standard. Then it became free range. But now when I go to the grocery store how do I choose between organic free range eggs or organic pastured raised cage free eggs? What is the meaning of this?! Sounds like a job for Kimmy Tanaka to investigate!  

Why I care and why you should care -, it’s become increasingly harder to conceive in the past few decades and many believe it’s due to increased hormones in our food. For all genders, if you want to have hormonal balance, what you eat matters. 

Cage Free Eggs

What are cage free eggs? 

Cage free eggs come from hens that still live indoors but are free to roam around. It’s like they’re on house arrest. Quality of life is better for them than being in a cage. There’s a huge variance in the quality of the indoor space - some are crowded and don’t have windows. They usually don’t have natural light and are given artificial light. 

Free Range Eggs

What are free range eggs? 

Free range eggs are from farms that give the chickens some outdoor space to roam around. They’re allowed to forage for insects and do regular animal activities. The amount of space differs between labeling certifications.

Pasture Raised Eggs

What are pasture raised eggs? 

Pasture raised eggs are from hens that are allowed to spend a lot of time roaming around outside. Many labeling programs require that the outdoor space has vegetation and that there’s no overcrowding. Pasture raised eggs have more nutrients, in a study by Penn State: 

"Compared to eggs of the commercial hens, eggs from pastured hens eggs had twice as much vitamin E and long-chain omega-3 fats, more than double the total omega-3 fatty acids…”

Is pastured raised better than organic? 

Pasture raised eggs can be organic, they aren’t mutually exclusive. 

Organic Eggs

What are organic eggs? 

All of the above egg types can also be organic. Organic eggs come from hens that have been raised without hormones. Their feed has to be from natural organic matter, without pesticides, herbicides and chemicals. 

Vegetarian Eggs 

Eggs from hens that are fed a vegetarian diet. I’ve rarely seen these in shops but you can buy them from specialty retailers. 

Egg Product / Egg Whites 

What is “liquid egg product?” 

These carton eggs have pasteurized egg whites, a small amount of pasteurized yolk  and other ingredients. This is not the same as egg replacement liquid which is a story for another time. 

Is liquid egg product healthy? 

Nutritionally, they claim to be the same. They’re popular for people who need to manage cholesterol or have more protein but I’m old fashioned and prefer real eggs. 


EGG-AQ (FAQ) 

  • Do organic eggs need to be refrigerated? Yes 

  • Why are organic eggs brown and have darker yolks? Because of the better diets of the chickens. 

  • Why are organic eggs better for you? They don’t have hormones that might disrupt your human experience. 

  • Which organic eggs are best? The ones you can afford - all these types can be pricey especially if you’re feeding a family. 

  • When do organic eggs expire? Eggs can be refrigerated for 3-5 weeks, look at the sell by date.  

  • Do organic eggs taste better? Subjective, but according to studies, eggs with the highest amount of omega-3 taste better, and that award goes to pasture raised. 

  • Do organic eggs have hormones? No 

What are Egg Grades? 

All the cartons I saw at the grocery said A. I guess the sub par students didn’t make the cut at my local store!  

What is egg grading? / What are egg grades? 

These are quality grades based on the appearance and quality of the eggshell, and the quality of the yolk and egg white (albumen). Eggs are rated on these factors and take the factor with the lowest grade. So even if the shell is A but the yolk is B, it becomes a B egg. 

Weight classes set by the USDA 

  • Jumbo

  • Extra Large 

  • Large 

  • Medium 

  • Small 

  • Peewee

Conclusion - Which eggs I buy and why 

I buy organic, pasture raised eggs because 1 - my mom told me to, 2 - I think they taste better, 3 - I need to do everything I can to regulate my hormones. 

More reading 

Carolyn Ken