I recently came across an article entitled “Organic Eggs: More Expensive, but No Healthier.” My first thought was “Hmm, oh really?!” The article got my attention and I began to read it. Here are my thoughts:
1. The study was conducted by the USDA. I personally don’t trust any study conducted by an organization directly involved in our food production. The studies are often done in their favor to promote their products and make money. I would give more value to a study conducted by a 3rd party. Why did the USDA conduct this study in the first place? Are the factories losing money to organic farmers?
2. The study was conducted based on a system designed in 1937. What? Are you serious? I thought we were more technically evolved than that. Back then we knew very little about nutrition. The study was only examining the protein in the white of the egg, completely neglecting the rest. The study determined that there was “no meaningful differences at all” in a factory farm egg vs. an organic egg nutritionally speaking. Ok, so no one eats the yolk? That’s where the majority if the vitamins are. I would like to see a study for the ENTIRE egg.
3. They also claim that factory eggs are safer because the chickens are enclosed in cages and avoid environmental contaminants. The report states that they found one organic farm in the US where the chickens had high PCB levels. How much of that actually goes into the egg? What is the contaminant level of other factory farms vs. organic farms? See this chart.
4. Who is Jeffrey Kluger? Yes is a writer for TIME, but how did he get a hold of this article? Does he has ties to the inside? Was he paid by the USDA to write this? How good of a journalist can he be writing an article like this?
Needless to say this article made me angry and if you read the comments by other readers they are all angry too! I am so glad that people are aware and realize that his article, in my opinion, is a joke. Who are they trying to fool?
I will continue to purchase organic, cage-free and pasture-raised eggs (aka HAPPY EGGS!) The nutritional benefits are superior and the negative environmental impact is far less. I hope you will do the same.
I have many more questions, concerns and arguments on this article, but main reason for me posting this is to urge to question the media when it comes to health (and other news too!) and know where the source comes from. But then again, who can you trust? We also must do our own personal research and follow our intuition.