A Short History of Organic Eggs
You’re pushing your shopping cart through the produce section of your favorite grocery store. You remember that you’re almost out of eggs, so you steer toward the refrigerator case filled with all those egg cartons. You care about the food you and your family eat and you want eggs that have been raised in a natural, sustainable and humane manner. So, you grab the eggs with the green and white USDA Organic label and put them in your cart next to the organic lettuce and hormone-free milk. You feel secure knowing that these eggs have been vouched for by an agency of the US government and you’re satisfied that with your purchase you’re supporting farmers who raise their hens in a sustainable and humane way. Did you make the right choice? Perhaps not. The USDA Organic label more than likely doesn’t mean what you think it means.
The word “organic” gets thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean? The first time I heard it was in the 1960’s and it was spoken by my mom. It’s very easy to picture Mom in her in her garden—she spent a lot of time there. She had a huge garden overflowing with vegetables and flowers that was both well maintained and productive. At some point Mom started reading a thin monthly periodical called Organic Farming and Gardening. It was after that magazine started showing up in our mailbox that she started this new-fangled thing she called a “compost pile” and started modifying some her gardening practices and reducing her use of chemicals. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Mom was on the leading edge of the great American organic movement.
1940’s: The Beginning of the Organic Movement
Organic Farming and Gardening magazine was produced by the Rodale Research Institute, an organization founded by J.I Rodale, who is regarded by many people as the father of the organic movement in the US. Starting in the 1940s, Rodale disseminated information through his institute and magazine about farming and gardening techniques that were, according to his claim, both more sustainable than standard methods and more in harmony with the natural world. In 1962 Rachel Carson published her book, Silent Spring, and raised the awareness of the American public about how synthetic pesticides were degrading and destroying the environment. That book not only launched the environmental movement—it also created a receptive audience for J.I. Rodale’s message.
By the time the 1970’s rolled around, there was a full-fledged organic movement—a whole army of consumers concerned about the environment and their own health. These people voted with their pocketbooks and thus created a whole organic industry of producers and retailers who agreed with their philosophy and strove to meet their demands for sustainable and wholesome food.
1990: The Organic Foods Production Act
As the organic industry burgeoned, it became apparent that there were huge differences of opinion regarding what "organic" meant. There obviously needed to be some sort of standards and regulations. In response to the wishes of the organic movement itself, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in 1990.
OFPA created laws that producers would have to follow for their products to be considered officially organic. It gave the US Department of Agriculture the task of putting together the regulatory documents and structure that were necessary to maintain and enforce those laws. After years of work by a plethora of lawyers, USDA staff, and organic advocates, OFPA was finally implemented in 2000.
For the most part, beyond a few tweaks, most organic producers didn’t have to make many changes to meet the guidelines of the new federal law. They did have to go through a certification process, but once they passed they were allowed to affix the shiny new “USDA Organic” label to their product.
Egg producers who wanted to label their egg cartons with the new sticker needed to maintain a few standards that were above and beyond the standards maintained by producers of regular eggs. The requirements were few in number, but important in their consequences: Feed the hens organic chicken feed. Don’t give them antibiotics on a routine basis. Give them adequate indoor space to prevent overcrowding. Allow them access to fresh air and sunlight.
The OFPA regulations recognized that healthy and happy hens produced superior eggs and that consumers who purchased organic eggs expected that the hens that produced those eggs to be treated in an ethical and humane fashion. This expectation by consumers was confirmed by a 2016 ASPCA survey that showed that most Americans are concerned about the welfare of the farm animals that produce their food. And their concern for farm animal welfare is one of the reasons they are willing to pay more to buy organic products. The ASPCA survey was corroborated by a 2017 Consumer Reports survey that showed that 86 percent of consumers who often or always buy organic food felt that it was highly important for animals used to produce this food be raised on farms with high standards for animal welfare.
So, it was very disheartening when some of the largest egg producers in the country, egg producers who keep the vast majority of their hens in battery cage torture chambers, found loopholes in the regulations so they could sell eggs with the USDA Organic label. By worming through the loopholes, they could charge the higher price that organic eggs command without following the flock husbandry practices that small organic producers follow.
One loophole these faux organic producers found was the space loophole. Standard factory farms cram hens into inhumane cages. Humane operations give their hens lots of space so they can engage in their natural behavior. While the USDA regulations specify that hens be given enough space to accommodate their natural behavior, they don’t stipulate an exact square footage. Since an exact number isn’t given, some producers give each hen a vanishingly small amount of space. One large certified organic producer gives each hen 48 square inches—that’s three hens trying to occupy each square foot of floor space across the entire floor of a 56,000 square foot barn. The producer rationalizes this density by pointing out four levels of metal shelves (that the producer refers to as aviaries) above the floor space.
The USDA dictate for fresh air and sunshine would seem to demand access to the outdoors. Most organic egg producers interpret the rule this way and allow their hens into large runs or onto pasture. But the loophole worming producers skirt this regulation by providing a roofed concrete slab with screened walls. Fresh air certainly penetrates the screens, as does sunshine. But there is no soil for the hens to scratch or dust-bathe in, and the area is devoid of any kind of vegetation. It’s not, in fact, outdoors at all, but is really a large screened indoor room. The poultry industry confirms this by referring to these spaces as “porches”.
Would you rather buy eggs laid by hens who spend their day foraging in a pasture or from hens confined to a porch with thousands of other hens? If you have a preference, you can’t rely the USDA Organic label to guide your choice. Both cartons will carry it.
2017: Organic Livestock & Poultry Practices Rule (OLPP)
It became obvious after the implementation of OFPA in 2000 that there were shortcomings and loopholes in the rules. Work began almost immediately to fix the problems. It was a huge task with many participants from national farm associations, the organic sector, and the USDA, among others. Eventually a new and improved set of guidelines was produced: The Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) rule. Among an abundance of rule changes and clarifications, it set an exact standard for indoor space for laying hens (in most instances one square foot per 2.25 pounds of bird—or two square feet for a four-and-a-half-pound bird). It also made clear that hens must be allowed to go outdoors to a soil covered area with both vegetation and occasional shade. Porches were not to be considered outdoor space. All organic laying hens were on the verge of living the good life.
The new rules were set to take effect in March of 2017. In January of 2017, with a switch in administrations and a new Secretary of Agriculture, the rule implementation was delayed. It was a logical move—the new folks needed time to find their footing. But then, ominously, in February the USDA, under the new administration, put a sixty-day delay on the new rules. In May, it further delayed implementation by six months. Finally, in December it moved to eliminate the new rules entirely.
What Happened?
In 2014 the Organic Egg Farmers of America conducted a survey and found that 95 percent of organic egg producers were already in compliance with the new OLPP rules. The other five percent were pretty much those large loophole worming factory farm operators. And it was these big players who were following the letter but not the spirit of the organic laws that didn’t want to see the letter of law become more stringent and affect their bottom line. Being able to charge consumers a premium price for organic eggs without having to outlay the cash for real humane living conditions for their hens was a gravy train that they wanted to keep chugging along. The USDA caved to pressure from these producers. The companies providing the most vocal opposition to the new OLPP rules included Cal-Maine Foods, the nation’s number one egg producer with over 36 million hens and Rose Acre Farms, the number two producer with over 25 million hens. The USDA obviously heard the voices of these factory farm conglomerates more clearly than it heard the voices of the consumers, farm organizations, and the vast majority of organic producers who were asking for the changes the OLPP rules would have ushered in.
Meanwhile, the demand for organic eggs continues to expand. Why? Because consumers care about how their eggs are produced and they want to know that the hens producing the eggs they eat have been humanely treated. Most consumers have no idea about those loopholes. It is obvious they don’t know because if they did, why in the world would they pay more for a carton of eggs affixed with a meaningless label?
What You Can Do
I have written previously about independent animal welfare organizations and their rating systems. Look for Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane, or Global Animal Partnership (3 or higher) labels on the egg cartons you buy. Rather than relying on the USDA Certified Organic label, look for the words “pasture raised” as a guarantee that the hens that laid the eggs had quality outdoor time. Check company websites. Companies will either rightfully brag about their animal welfare practices or make excuses for the lack of them. Some of the larger producers of humane eggs include Pete and Gerry’s, Vital Farms, Nature’s Yoke, Handsome Brook Farm, Common Good Farm, Coyote Creek Farm, and Locally Laid. There are thousands of other excellent small operations, many of them selling only to local or statewide markets.
Beyond that, you can always write to the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture—1400 Independence Ave., S.W.—Washington, DC 20250) and demand implementation of the Organic Livestock & Poultry Practices rule. The USDA may not hear your voice as clearly as it hears those giant agribusiness companies, but if enough of us start demanding the same thing in unison, perhaps they will listen. Because that’s how democracy is supposed to work, right?
