In the United States, organic eggs come from chickens raised in accordance with USDA standards, then certified. Birds must be free to move around, have outdoor access, be fed 100 percent organic feed produced without the use of pesticides, insecticides, or genetic engineering, and free from sewage sludge and animal derived proteins. No antibiotics are allowed. Hormones are actually never permitted; our government bans their use for all poultry. So arsenic is used to promote conventional chicken growth, among other things. Needless to say arsenic is banned for organic.
Eating organic eggs means not swallowing residues of those very chemicals and drugs. There is evidence that organic chickens lay more nutritious eggs than factory farm chickens. Bonus: the organic versions tend to be more flavorful. There are also environmental benefits to organic chickens, especially in the waste management realm.
Organic farms can be big. If you’d like eggs with bright orange yolks from a pastured chicken who roamed and pecked worms and grubs on a small local farm, that’s a different, well, bird. Seek those out at a farmers’ market.
Don't confuse the terms "all natural," “free range,” “cage free,” or “no antibiotics administered” with certified organic labels like ACO (Australia), AB (France), or USDA (United States). The former are unregulated and therefore rather meaningless. The latter are government defined and must be third party certified. Look for the seal.
Many chain grocery stores carry organic eggs. If yours doesn’t, ask them to. Then try a health food store, a farmers’ market, and/or a local farm. Next, fry, scramble, and bake!
