I was intending to write about the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) ruling on milk labeling, but got sidetracked during my research by some astounding wording on labels, product literature and websites.

First, I found a number of instances of meat, especially pork, advertised as “hormone free”. All living animals have hormones. So what was probably meant is that the animals were raised without the use of hormone implants or feed additives.

For pork and chicken, hormones are not allowed to be used in production. If such a claim is made, the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) stipulates it must be accompanied by “federal regulations do not permit the use of hormones in hog or pork”. One of the things that spurred the PDA into action was misleading claims about things that are already standard.

Then, I came across “organically produced honey”. Bees are not raised in confinement; they fly freely across the landscape in search of nectar. Their natural range is about a 4 mile radius from the hive. Although bees have an amazing sort of intelligence, they cannot be trained to recognize property boundaries. Few apiaries in the US can guarantee that their honey is only produced from plants grown organically, so most Certified Organic honey is imported, even if it is marketed by a US company. Here you have a choice between local and organic that is not apparent, even if you read every word on the label.

And the one that sent me over the edge: “Our eggs come from cage-free 100% vegetarian-fed hens”. The carton is an earthy brown color, with milk-paint colored drawings of chickens, eggs, a barn and a wicker basket. I would bet that most people buying these eggs believe they are getting eggs from chickens fed a “natural” diet and living in “natural” conditions. Chickens are NOT vegetarians. In order to be 100% vegetarian-fed, they must be prevented access to their natural diet, which includes insects, worms and virtually any protein source they can get their beaks on. According to my yard chickens, even the dog’s leftover kibble is pretty tasty. There are some pretty convincing differences in the nutritional value of “pastured” eggs, and a big difference in taste (IMHO), neither of which you are getting from this carton of eggs.

If asked, I believe most consumers would respond that they want to “eat healthy,” “protect the environment,” and “promote animal welfare”. I also believe the time and effort spent to do so is largely limited to making a choice at the supermarket based on what they can read on a label in 15 seconds. Remember that most packaging claims are for marketing, not information. It is up to you to be sure you get what you pay for.

1. Jenny Says:
   November 14th, 2007 at 11:56pm

   Thank you for addressing these issues. It is interminably frustrating to see “Vegetarian” on a package of eggs. To me, it’s simply a signal that the chicken hasn’t been naturally or, for that matter, properly fed. And, yes, there’s a huge difference in taste between eggs from industrial complexes (even if it’s vegetarian feed) and eggs from pastured chickens.



2. Food Choices in the Real World | Down to Earth - Safety in Food Production Says:
   July 30th, 2008 at 12:50pm

   […] get frustrated when I talk to my farmer’s market customers who think “eggs from vegetarian fed chickens” means the chickens led a life of total freedom(chickens aren’t vegetarians). I find it […]



3. Wicker Mike Says:
   July 13th, 2009 at 3:59am

   I have just gone through your post, not bad at all.
   I like your website, its nice and tidy, may i ask you where you got this template? or is it done by you?
   Thanks
   Mike