A recent CBC consumer TV show took a free-range approach to examining the different variety of eggs available to consumers. The outcome was surprising to many depending on one's perspective. This TV show was refreshingly different from the usual CBC so-called "investigative consumer-oriented approach" where they start with a politically correct trendy concept and proceed to disparage anything that might question their pre-conceived notion. That usually involves highlighting dubious research and comments from the usual suspects in the green and animal rights lobby business. Actual industry folks are usually sidelined as being hopelessly biased. But this particular CBC show was different; it gave the egg industry a fair presence. At the end of the exercise, the conclusion was that there was almost no difference in taste between a regular egg and a so called ethical organic egg. That came from a blind test with eggs prepared by a chef.
The CBC reporter did highlight that some of the organic, free-range, cage-free eggs had higher levels of some vitamins than regular eggs. The implication was that they were more nutritious, what wasn't said was if that difference is of any real consequence. It always boils down to dosage, many times in these comparisons there is a contrived failure to mention that in order for the increased nutrition level to have a health effect, a consumer would have to eat many extra pounds of the product every day. What wasn't noted in the laboratory report was that of all the regular and unconventional eggs that were tested all had virtually the exact same levels of protein and fat. I would suggest that those two nutrition factors far exceed the value of vitamin levels. What that shows is that the way eggs are produced is irrelevant to their nutrient value – at this point consumer preference becomes nothing more than vanity and lifestyle perceptions.
Interestingly but not surprisingly both the CBC reporter and some of the test panelists were concerned with laying hen happiness. There is clearly no scientific way to determine the happiness level of a chicken being that their ability to articulate their feelings is quite limited. On the face of it a happy chicken has pretty well got the same expression as a sad chicken. The approach then is to apply human perceptions onto chicken moods. Perhaps that should best be left to chicken psychologists as to me chickens always look like they are ready to peck your eye out. To be fair there are benefits to the humane handling of poultry by giving them better living conditions. The enlarged enriched cage concept seems to be a good compromise in bettering the lifestyle of your average laying hen. The egg industry seems to have accepted that approach as the plan is to change over to that type of production system. But there is a cost and surveys show that the vast majority of consumers buy eggs on price not on lifestyle or moral grounds. That's a dilemma for the industry – do they respond to actual demands of the majority or the politically correct whims of a vocal elite minority who can afford the price of designer eggs. The industry is trying to do both – making so-called ethically-raised and organic eggs available but at up three times the cost of regular eggs. Perhaps what should be added into that type of egg production is the carbon footprint cost – I expect it is considerably higher. I wonder if the self-righteous proponents of ethical egg production would be willing to see a carbon cost label and price penalty applied to such eggs – I expect such an inconvenient truth would be unwelcome.
Pressure on the industry to change production practices seems to continue particularly with fast food and restaurant chains who are demanding cage-free eggs. That type of production system is less efficient, more costly and definitely not carbon-friendly. It also has increased health, disease and predation concerns but little of that is mentioned in the issue. I expect producers will supply those eggs as that sector of the market wields considerable power over the industry. Rest assured there will be more demands to produce even more politically correct eggs.
The somewhat absurd aspect to the entire issue is that perception is reality no matter how silly. It would seem that virtually all eggs that are ethically and organically produced have to be brown coloured. That's because consumers seem to be convinced that white coloured eggs cannot possibly be anything but regular eggs. Consumers, don't we just love them?