Which eggs are more nutritious? Testing organic, free-run and conventional (Marketplace)

The sun is coming out. At dawn, our mission begins. Track where one of your favorite foods comes from. We are visiting an

organic

farm near Holstein, Ontario, two hours north of Toronto. We're here to see... ...chickens. Oh my god, look at them all. I didn't realize that each hen will lay an egg every morning. Yes. Beth Simpson and her husband Lloyd start their day at 5 a.m.... There is a jumbo. ..collecting hundreds of

eggs

from 500 chickens. Oh, there's one coming out, oh my gosh. Oh Lord! It's warm. They also receive special food. This is heavy. What's here Beth?

What do they get? They are all grasses and grains. It's your compressed protein. Beth says she adds hay with alfalfa. She shows us what raising chickens for

organic

eggs

is all about. They have the ability to run

free

ly, they have organic feed, so they are bred to be as natural as possible for the normal life of a chicken. Are your chickens happy here? Yes. How can you know? You heard them humming. I did. And they sing, they resist and they are just happy chickens. They can run wherever they want to go. This is our egg sorting room and our coolers.

But does a happy hen lay a healthier egg? Beth, we were hoping to take some eggs today to try. Do you think it's OK? I love it, it's good to know the quality of your eggs. Beth is a member of a small farmers cooperative and her eggs sell for about $8 a dozen. We want to test her eggs and much

more

. Alright, let's get to work. We have Green Valley, an enriched colonial farm. It has become complicated. Free execution, omega-3... And expensive. Organic PC, $6.79. These are just oversized eggs from Compliments and are $2.75. Hey. But I wonder if cheaper eggs are as healthy as the

more

expensive organic ones.

To find out, we will send 28 dozen eggs, plus Beth's for nutritional analysis. These are the

conventional

eggs, the cheap ones. We have no name, Congratulations, Gray Ridge, Burnbrae. These are the organic eggs here... And some of the most expensive. Congratulations, Kirkland, PC and Burnbrae, Gold Egg Organic Brown Eggs. Eggs from

free

-range chickens, fed an organic diet. Some more from small farms. Bekings, Yorkshire...Beth's brand. And we also included some mid-range options. Free Run, says of chickens that roam freely in open-concept barns. Hmm. There are fourteen different brands. The lab will test

conventional

, organic and free-range eggs for us.

Hundreds of them, to answer a great question. Do you think the cheapest eggs are as

nutritious

as the most expensive ones? I usually buy organic products, but I don't really know if they are healthy or not. I mean, I guess so. I think that this excessive expense and truly high cost of organic is totally useless. I know some people think it's healthier, but not for me. Do you think the cheapest eggs are just as

nutritious

as the most expensive ones? Actually, I do not know. And would you be willing to pay more money for a more nutritious egg? -I would like to.

Oh yeah. Hundred percent. So what egg is it? We checked nutrition labels but found they are inconsistent, listing some but not all nutrients, and making comparison difficult. So this food science lab is analyzing these eggs for us, checking for vitamins A, D and E, protein and cholesterol. And today, fats, including omega-3. We then followed a two-day extraction procedure. Let's get to work, literally. That is the first step. Mix a full dozen eggs from a carton... ...to create a sample. And then? We add certain reagents to our samples. We continue the hydrolysis step. Using some strong acid and boiling water.

And at the end we have the top layer of fat that separates. When it comes to food analysis, there are many steps. We use it for the final vial. We show you some of the most important ones. Last but not least, load those vials into this gas chromatography instrument. This laboratory equipment will cause a breakdown. While we wait for those numbers, we hit the streets to find out more about their egg consumption. How many eggs would you say you eat in a week? Two to four. And egg salad. -We love making egg salad. -Me too. How many eggs would you say you have in a week?

About six. -24. -That? Yes. Protein! -Body-building. -Oh really? He's not the only one. What's for dinner? I'm making you tortillas. The Kin family buys about six dozen eggs a week. We stopped by to learn more about her love for eggs. Wendy, why do you eat so many? It is convenient. It's fast. We are a busy family. We love the taste of eggs. And we exercise. So right after exercising we will eat eggs. What are you really buying? We're not... we're not too picky. I don't really know one brand or another. Well. But when we see omega-3s, we just buy them.

And Wendy, anything in particular for you about omega-3? The body does not produce omega-3 naturally,

which

is why I prefer supplements. And you have growing teenagers. Oh, they eat a lot, they eat a lot. Does the omega-3 present in eggs really do all that? We called registered dietitian Aja Gyimah to find out. Omega-3s are really important for brain health, they're really important for inflammation and heart health, and also for growth and development early in life. Adults need between 1.1 and 1.6 grams of omega-3s per day. So are these omega eggs worth paying $2 more for? I would prefer to get my omega-3s from another source where I know I will meet my daily needs.

What would be best sources of omega-3s? Definitely any fatty fish, salmon, is huge, and also things like walnuts and flax seeds. Most nuts and seeds contain omega-3s. Simply put, when it comes to omega-3s, some experts say there are better quality sources than eggs. But what about the proteins in eggs? Whether you are a baby or over 90, everyone needs protein and it is very important to get it, so using eggs to provide that protein will be a very efficient way to help you maintain or even build muscle mass. Aja says eggs are a great source of protein and most of us can eat between five and seven a week.

If you are concerned about cholesterol, talk to your doctor. Now is the time to find out if more expensive eggs pack a more nutritional punch. Our lab results are available. In the eggs we looked at, when it comes to conventional and big brand organic eggs, for most nutrients, there is no real difference. In fact, I'm quite surprised. David Soberman is a professor and Canadian National Chair of Strategic Marketing. He definitely would have expected it, and I think the average consumer would have expected that organic eggs would have been a little better. Remember, we tested conventional and organic eggs from these big brands.

No name for PC Organics, Sobeys' Compliments, from two of the country's largest egg suppliers, Burnbraes, Gray Ridge and its organic brand, Gold Egg. On average, when it comes to cholesterol, protein, vitamins A, E, and E, the differences are so small that registered dietitians tell us they don't count. And in fact, in our test, some organic eggs have fewer vitamins than their conventional brands. There are some notable exceptions. And, when it comes to omega-3s, these organic eggs have twice the amount of conventional ones, but one egg still doesn't have nearly what you need in a day.

In the end, there isn't much difference in nutrition, but there sure is in terms of cost. I think this could actually clear up a lot of confusion for our consumers because most people might be buying these big brand organic eggs because they think they're going to provide them with more nutrients; However, we now know that conventional eggs are actually capable of maintaining their own. We shared our results with the Ontario Organic Council. They say that, unlike conventional feed, theirs does not contain GMOs or pesticides, and people also buy organic products to support more humane treatment of animals.

There are big differences in the cost of production. If you are going to produce an egg organically, it does not cost the same as producing an egg industrially. Now, as always there is a “but”, okay? And what about the organic products from small farms that we analyze and the free-range eggs? Any difference there? I think that's really interesting. How do Beth's eggs compare? They need to have adequate nutrition and adequate space. Is what's good for chickens also good for you? This is your market. Put this on... We put over 300 eggs to the test. Now is the time to find out if the way chickens are raised makes any nutritional difference.

I care more about the ethical standards of how chickens are raised. But there is certainly confusion. Do you know the difference between free run and free range? No. No, I don't. I was just going to ask, aren't they the same? That says enriched colony farm. Do those things mean anything to you? I don't even know what that means, enriched colony farm, it's very confusing. Free functioning, freedom, enriched colony, all that stuff...are those terms confusing on egg cartons? I think for the average consumer they would be. It seems like a bit of advertising to me. Do you think if they were lighter you would make a different decision about

which

eggs to buy?

Yes absolutely. We asked all the big brands for a farm tour. But they say no, some citing COVID concerns and others telling us to talk to the Egg Producers of Canada. That's how we do it, but they don't give us access either. Instead, we found some images on their websites. Here is an enriched colony, cages larger than these conventional ones, with a perch bar, a scratching post and a nest box. It's very attractive to look at something that has green grass, because then you think of a happy chicken. In fact, he's not... he's just trapped in a cage.

Make it sound better than it really is. Burnbrae owns Green Valley. We tell you that some of you find this marketing misleading. They say consumers with questions about housing chickens can visit their website. In Canada, 85% of our eggs come from caged hens. So what is it like to live without cages? Well, there is freedom of movement with open concept barns. And the free field is similar, but with doors like this to access the outside. What about organic products from big brands? We know that the chickens receive organic feed and are free-range, however, none of the companies are willing to show it to us.

But it turns out that, in our test, not all organic products are created equal. Eggs from small farms have much more vitamin D, E, and even a little more protein than organic eggs from big brands. Oh, is that so? Honestly, I'd rather support the small farm. Good to Know. I would look for those eggs. So what's behind those differences? Poultry nutritionists explain that differences in nutrition are based on the feed and sometimes the breed of chicken and age of the flock. Farmer Beth believes something else helps too... Just like humans, they need to have proper nutrition and adequate space.

They need to go out and sunbathe, they need to be able to run and feel happy and free. Do you think organic chickens and eggs from large organic operations are treated the same as your chickens? I don't want to answer that. We inform all companies about the results of our tests on small farms. Some say they follow industry standards and offer their customers many options. L.H. Gray and Costco do not respond. For most eggs, when you pay more, it means happier chickens. But if you can't stomach Beth's $8 per dozen eggs and still want to go cage-free, you might consider free-running.

They cost less, but in our test, nutritionally they pack almost the same punch. I might as well just stick with the cheapest one and keep my money in my pocket. Price is definitely a factor. Dietitians say that, regardless of the price, eggs are part of a balanced diet and a good source of protein and vitamin E. Awesome, it's great to know that we can feed him whatever we want and he will be fine.