What is the difference between all of these egg labels?
Regenerative...pasture raised...free range...cage free...organic...non-GMO...the long list of egg labels you find in the store can be overwhelming. So here's a quick guide to try and help!
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Regenerative
Farming practices that seek to improve soil health, rehabilitate ecosystems, and restore food systems by replicating harmonious natural processes. Here at Sunnyside Egg Co., we use mobile chicken houses to employ regenerative practices on all of our pasture raised farms. -
Pasture Raised
Unfortunately this is used to describe a system in which chickens are raised in barns and have periodic outdoor access to 108sqft. per chicken (approx. 400 hens/acre). Industry standard is that less than 20% of these hens will ever go outside. Sunnyside Egg Co. is redefining this label by truly raising our hens outdoors on fresh pasture. -
Free Range
Used to describe a system in which chickens are raised in barns and have periodic outdoor access to 2sqft. per chicken (approx. 21,780 hens/acre). Sunnyside Egg Co. is redefining this label by providing at least 21.8+sqft. per hen on our free range farms. -
Cage Free
Hens are kept in barns for their entire lives but are able to move around inside of the barn. Cage free hens do not have access to the outdoors.
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Organic
Organic products are produced without the use of synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Organic products inherently do not contain GMOs. -
Non-GMO
Non-GMO means that the product was not genetically modified and does not contain genetically modified ingredients. Non-GMO products are not quite as pure as organic but are still a better alternative than conventional products. -
Conventional
If you see an egg carton that does not include organic or non-GMO in its labeling, then the hens were fed conventional feed. Conventional feed is almost always sprayed with dangerous pesticides and herbicides. Many "pasture raised" egg companies still sadly use conventional feed which likely contains dangerous chemicals.
Our Eggs
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We are not certified organic. Many regenerative practices, including some used by Sunnyside, fall outside of organic regulations (multi-species grazing, feeding outdoors, etc.). However, we supplement our regenerative pasture raised hens with 100% organic certified feed and we never spray our pastures with any chemicals.
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Based on recent studies, pasture raised eggs contain 2-3x more Vitamins A and E, 2x more Omega-3 fatty acids, 7x more beta carotene, and 3-6x more Vitamin D than conventionally raised eggs.
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We do not give our hens hormones or antibiotics, and all our flocks enjoy plenty of space in clean, uncrowded, and safe mobile houses and barns. Offering antibiotics to laying hens as a preventative measure was adopted by factory farms to offset the filthy, disease-spreading environments that their hens experience every day.
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While our hens are humanely raised, and thus can spend most of their days foraging for bugs and tasty greens, they are not ruminants, like cows, and therefore cannot get 100% of their diet this way. That’s why we provide our flocks with a supplementary feed containing corn and soy. The soybeans are a great source of additional protein, while the corn provides carbohydrates. There is also a wide range of other beneficial nutrients and minerals in our feed that help to keep the hens healthy, like electrolytes and calcium.
If you would like to see us move to exclusively corn free and soy free feed, please send us a message. If there is enough interest then we will change feeds.
The Future of Sustainability
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Not all "pasture raised" is created equal. In fact, every other major pasture raised egg company exclusively uses large-scale barn models (yes, even the ones that claim they are pasture raised). Our farms employ regenerative practices with 100% of our farms using either mobile chicken coops or small, permaculture barns.
Our pasture-raised flocks are raised to Certified Humane® Pasture-Raised standards, which allows them to roam freely on expansive green pastures with 108 spacious square feet of outdoor space per hen. They can exhibit natural hen behaviors like perching, dust bathing, socializing with friends, foraging for juicy worms, and soaking up sunshine.
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At Sunnyside, we deeply believe in the value of human connection and supporting members of our communities who need help getting back on their feet.
Because of that, 100% of our profits are distributed among farmers, staff, and local nonprofit organizations solving hunger, homelessness, and addiction in the United States.
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We want our farms to be open for folks to visit and learn about regenerative agriculture. That's why we offer farm tours and seminars. Follow us on social media to find out about on-farm events!