Over half a BILLION eggs have been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination, and it appears that the contaminated eggs have come from two giant factory farms in Iowa.
Perhaps the buy local movement isn’t so crazy, after all.
Check out what The New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof, has to say about the egg debacle here. Note Kristof’s statistic, from the Promar study released a year ago last month, that “95% of American egg-laying hens are raised in small battery cages.” These are very small cages into which several hens are stuffed. As you can see from the picture below, the hens have virtually no room to even change position, let alone turn around.
These hens live in deplorable conditions that can’t help but promote disease; they are terribly inhumane to boot.
It is easier than ever to buy eggs from locally raised, truly free-range hens. Search them out. Farmers’ markets are a good place to start, but farm stands also frequently have eggs. Check even your local grocery store — mine, which is admittedly part of a very small and very local chain, carries local eggs from a small farm. Don’t forget your neighbors; raising chickens has gotten to be a very popular hobby, and most hobbyists have more eggs than they know what to do with.
A caveat: Even eggs from well-cared for chickens are not 100% guaranteed to be free of salmonella, but you can decrease your chances of coming in contact with the bacteria. Guard your family’s health, as well as your own.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Beth, I absolutely love your site! I have only just begun to read the many articles and am looking forward to reading more.
This article was very close to my thoughts as we have been flooded for years with cage eggs and I will only buy free-range ones despite the extra cost. It is definitely worth it for the peace of mind over the cruelty aspect and of course the freshness and taste are far superior.
We are having the debate over puppy farms which has only been brought to our attention recently. Oh what a terrible thing that it is. To think we have been led to believe our pet shops were happy, safe places to buy our new friends and not the providers of off-spring that have been manufactured in cruel,disgusting conditions.
Congratulations and good luck. I look forward to reading more.
Sandra, thank you so very much for your kind words! I’m so thrilled that you’re out there reading along.
I think that folks here in the states are only just beginning to understand the problems associated with large-scale factory farming. I hope to be writing more about these issues soon.