Organic, Free Range or Cage-Free? Egg Labels Explained

Head down the supermarket egg aisle and you’re bound to get sticker shock, as prices jumped 60% last year.

With dozens of egg options at different prices, including for cage-free, free range and organic, what does it all mean, and is it worth paying more? Consumer Reports helped explain.

“A lot of these terms on egg cartons don’t really have any defined meaning, and if you’re going to pay a premium price for eggs, you want to make sure you’re getting what you think you’re getting,” Consumer Reports editor Trisha Calvo said.

Farm Fresh, Natural and Hormone-Free: These are all labels you can ignore, Calvo said.

“All eggs are from farms, and all eggs are natural, so ‘farm fresh’ and ‘natural’ really have no clear meaning. And, by law, chickens can’t be given hormones. So a carton of eggs that has these claims isn’t really any different from a carton that doesn’t,” she said.

Cage-Free: This term also can be misleading. While it’s true the hens aren’t kept in cages, they can still be kept indoors, often in crowded conditions.

Free Range: This label also is dubious, Calvo said.

“Free range birds aren’t kept in cages, and they do have outdoor access, but they can still be raised in crowded conditions, and the outdoor area can be very tiny,” she said.

Organic: If eggs have an organic seal, it means the eggs were laid by hens that were fed grains grown without most synthetic pesticides or GMOs. The birds cannot be raised in cages and must have outdoor access — though that could still mean confined conditions in a building with just a small concrete porch.

Pasture Raised: This term on its own isn’t meaningful. But if it’s paired with the certified humane label, you can be sure the chickens had access to a pasture with space to peck for seeds and bugs.

Bottom line: If it’s important to you to buy pasture-raised eggs, be prepared to pay more — likely well over $5 per dozen.