alton brown says no thanks to factory farmed eggs
PETA recently reported that Food Network host Alton Brown (Good Eats, Iron Chef) plans to avoid supporting factory farmed eggs. He cites concerns about both the chickens' welfare and his own health (remember that recent egg recall?). I'm glad he's taking a step in the right direction, but I wonder what eggs he will purchase? Will they really be more kind? He looks so friendly! It seems like his heart is in the right place - but the sad truth is that even eggs that seem kind involve cruelty.
You can read about why eating eggs is bad for you and cruel to the chickens on page 31 of my book. I also talked to PETA to get the lowdown on two of the types of eggs that are a little kinder than factory farmed eggs - but are far from cruelty-free. Here's what they had to say:
Certified Humane Raised and Handled
"These eggs come from farms where hens are uncaged (typically in warehouses or barns) and have at least 1.5 square feet per hen. These facilities have to keep their ammonia levels below a certain amount, can't keep their hens continuously confined to cages, must provide litter, perches, and nest boxes, don't force molt, clip their toes, or 'severely' debeak the birds - which are all improvements (however minimal) on standard practices. However, the birds don't have to have access to the outdoors; they can be beak-trimmed (a small portion of the upper beak is trimmed off) without pain relief as long as they are younger than eleven days old. There is no protection for the males, so they may be ground up at birth, and the hens will eventually be sent off to a violent slaughter when their egg production drops."
Certified Organic
"These eggs come from farms where birds are uncaged inside warehouses or barns. They have to be allowed outdoor access, but the amount and duration isn't stated, and different certifiers may consider different things to be acceptable. Beak cutting is permitted. Organic farmers aren't allowed to give the animals preventative antibiotics, but if the animal gets sick, they are required to give her medicine - but then are not allowed to sell her flesh as 'organic.' Consequently, sick hens are often sent over to the 'conventional' arm of the operation, where none of these standards will apply. As with all eggs, purchasing organic certified eggs means supporting not only the egg farmer, but whoever hatched the hens and whoever eventually slaughters them. It also means supporting the maceration of male chicks and the violent slaughter that the hens themselves will eventually endure."
So, as you can see there is really no such thing as cruelty-free eggs.
Now, if Alton Brown were to raise his own chickens, and care for them for their entire lives, even after their egg production drops - he'd be about as close to cruelty-free eggs as you can get. If he doesn't plan to do that, at least he is taking baby steps in the right direction.
While it may be far from ideal, it's exciting that so many people are waking up in big and small ways. What do you think? Is Alton Brown's effort to avoid factory farmed eggs a step in the right direction?
39 comments
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Alicia I worked in an egg "farm"(ahem factory) when I was a teenager which disturbed the crap out of me. If anybody here ever wants some of the details, I'd be glad to give them although some of them are absolutely nightmarish.
One of my dreams is to adopt chickens who've somehow survived the cruel egg industry and let them live as comfortably as possible in a big backyard, and if they lay eggs, they lay eggs.
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I just have to say that I disagree with the egg issue. I am vegan about 90% of the time, and I have done my research to provide the most cruelty-free non-vegan items for my family members that are not vegan. Eggs are the one thing that I think is easy to find. We had our own chickens for YEARS. Hens lay eggs. Period. If you do not have a rooster that is fertilizing the eggs, they are not potential baby chicks. However, the hens still lay the eggs.
Our chickens had a safe enclosure for nighttime to protect them from predators. During the day they were free to roam our 5 acres. We never fed them medicated feeds, nor did I push them to lay extra eggs with artificial lighting or anything of that nature. If I wouldn't have picked up the eggs for eating, it wouldn't have stopped the hens from laying them.
Oh, and when our hens would get old and stop laying, we just let them free-range away until they died a natural death. We considered them to be our pets (even got the vet out for them if needed), but with the benefit of some eggs if we needed them.
Many people in our rural area, (including several friends) have chickens free-ranging this way. If and when I need to purchase eggs, I buy from them.
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In response to the Certified Humane comment -
I see nothing wrong with Alicia's characterization of the changes as minimal - they are minimal. Are they improvements? Of course they are improvements compared to battery cages. But to say that an improvement is minimal is not the same as saying that there is no improvement or that the improvement is useless, it is simply saying that there is great room for more improvement, regardless of whether that means not eating animals at all or allowing laying hens to be raised in a more - ahem - 'natural' way, there can be no argument that there is still great room left for more improvement. (Furthermore, the largest reason for the 'need' to debeak hens because of the pecking order is because of the sheer number and compactness they are raised in. I am vegan and believe animals should not be raised for food, period, but I can still argue that they would not have to be debeaked if they were raised in fewer numbers with more room). And let us not kid ourselves - in our society raising animals for food is pure economics - it is a business and they are commodities. While of course many business owners do things altruistically, most money spent in a business, any business, is only done so because it is seen as a bottom line overall financial advantage.
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If you go vegan today, you stop it. You are dancing around the issue that there is nothing we can do today to stop the death of the 50 billion animals that are going to be killed needlessly for food who are already in the pipeline. Going vegan today will eliminate the suffering of the next 50 billion.
It's pretty simple in my book. Every animal you choose to not eat is one less that suffers. Basic arithmetic. The energies and monies you spend on making their short miserable lives more comfortable is a smokescreen. If you eat animals you have no concern for them.
Marty from Marty's Flying Vegan Review
@veganpilotmarty
www.martysnycveggiereview.blogspot.com
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Dear Marty,
Humane Farm Animal Care and the Certified Humane program is in no way a mouthpeice for industry. Whether or not you, or I, choose to be vegan, the fact remains that there are over 10 billion farm animals in the United States. Humane Farm Animal Care is about providing relief for those animals, right now.
Actually, hens do peck at each other (ever heard the expression "pecking order"?), even if they are not in cages (which they NEVER are on the Certified Humane program). I can send you some animal studies if you'd like to better educate yourself on the behavior of laying hens.
The beak trimming in our program is a momentary pain for the hen - that is why it has to be done according to specific guidelines and before 11 days old. The beak is certainly not "seared right off" in any way, but blunted so that when the hens peck, it does not cannabilize the other hens. It is not akin to cutting off someones nose. You can read the standards for yourself at www.certifiedhumane.org.
I do not feel the work this non-profit does is "crap" or "bs" - we provide relief for farm animals. The fact is, not everyone in America is a vegan, so right now farm animals are raised for consumption.
Those animals deserve an advocate, and we are proud to fulfil that role.
Sincerely,
Humane Farm Animal Care www.certifiedhumane.org
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Why do I think you're just a mouthpiece for the chicken and egg farmers?
I'm sorry, no matter how you take care of the hen when she doesn't produce enough her throat is slit and she is bled out and replaced by a young egg laying hen. This is not humane. Killing anything for your pleasure is not humane no matter how much daylight or square footage they are allocated. If you don't see the usage of animals as your RIGHT then you won't keep them in cages and they won't PECK EACH OTHER TO DEATH and then you won't have to SEAR THEIR BEAKS OFF without anesthetic. Momentary stress? How about I cut your nose off and you tell us how momentary the stress is. I'm just saying, of course.
You want to cut the bs and the crap?
Go Vegan and stop eating eggs and chickens.
Marty
Marty's Flying Vegan Review
www.martysflyingveganreview.blogspot.com
@veganpilotmarty -
CAGES
The post says, our farmers can't keep their hens continuously confined to cages. This is totally incorrect: there are absolutely no cages allowed on our program, ever! Certified Humane® eggs come from hens that are NEVER kept in cages.
BEAK TRIMMING
Hens in large groups peck at each other and cannibalize each other. Is it more humane to not beak trim birds then watch some be literally pecked to death? We don't think so. All Certified Humane® farmers must follow strict procedures for beak trimming to minimize the momentary stress and pain to the hen (these standards are available to everyone on the www.certifiedhumane.org website).
Please do not characterize these improvements as "minimal." Our farmers, who work incredibly hard and spend a lot of money to make these changes, don't think they are minimal. More importantly, these changes are not minimal to the birds that have clean air, are not in cages, are able to flap their wings, perch and dustbathe. And that's what we're about, providing relief to the farm animals.
We greatly respect your decision to be vegan - we are philosophically neutral in the discussion of whether to be a vegan, vegetarian or omnivore. Our role is to provide relief to farm animals because there are over 10 billion farm animals in the United States alone. I'm sure you would not want these animals to continue to have barren lives without the Certified Humane® improvements just to make a political point. Please, do not attack programs that are working hard to make a difference in the lives of farm animals today!
Adele Douglass
Founder and CEO, Humane Farm Animal Care
www.certifiedhumane.org -
Dear Alicia,
Thank you for writing about how the Certified Humane® labeling program improves the lives of laying hens. Our mission is to improve the lives of farm animals by verifying that farms and ranches are meeting our Animal Care Standards. The standards were written by animal scientists whose entire body of research is on the well being, not only physiologically, but behaviorally of farm animals. Your post had some misinformation that I'd like to correct so that you and your readers can have accurate, honest information with regard to housing, cages, outdoor access, and beak trimming.
HOUSING
The post says that "These eggs come from farms where hens are uncaged (typically in warehouses or barns)." When you say they are housed "typically in warehouses" I am not sure what that means, but it is not in line with the care and strict housing standards of the Certified Humane® program. There are no farms on our program that keep laying hens in "warehouses." We have farms on our program that keep laying hens in barns, some are pasture raised (outdoors all day, in shelter at night) or in barns with outdoor access, weather permitting. Our farmers provide housing facilities designed to minimize stress to the hens and allow them to engage in their natural behaviors such as perching and dust bathing. These are not "warehouses," but carefully and thoughtfully designed barns.
OUTDOOR ACCESS
You mentioned "the birds don't have to have access to the outdoors." While many of our hens are raised outdoors on pasture, it is not a requirement that hens have outdoor access because the pasture raised birds are in climates where they can be out of doors all year around. You can't have a pasture raised bird in Minnesota, or New Hampshire or even Pennsylvania. It is better for the birds to have an indoor barn that is well-equipped and adheres to the high standards than have them outdoors for 2 months a year and then in a barn with no standards the other 10 months. Also, hens need standards for outdoor care. They must have protection from predators and disease from migrating birds. They must have shade to protect them from heat and direct sun, and they certainly don't like the rain and the cold. The scientific standards were not written to meet our perceived needs of the animals, but the actual needs of these farm animals regardless of whether their housing systems are indoors, outdoors, or a combination of both. -
I found this category of eggs at Whole Foods.... :) if you want to eat eggs.... at least you know there is no cruelty behind them.
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We do have back yard hens, but they are more like pets than food. They free range around our yard and they will peck on the door if we haven't brought them their treats on time. They are super cute and very smart little creatures.
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Okay I don't eat eggs but some of the people in my household do (it's not my right to tell them what to eat, but I do try to educate them on what they're eating). So, what I do and I'm really lucky I can do this; is get eggs from a local farm. I can go to the farm buy the eggs (which still have some poop and hay stuck to them) and visit the chickens that lay them. That way even though I'm getting eggs for my house I'm getting them the most responsible way I know how.
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I think it is a step in the right direction, but I also really do believe that the only way to really be cruelty-free is to go completely vegan. I also think that most of the problem of why more people aren't going all the way to veganism is due to a general lack of knowledge about just how cruel these animal-breeding industries are. Another reason is because people may be concerned about how not including animal products in their diet may harm their health (or so they think). If we can give people more insight into just how horrible the meat & dairy industries truly are and how humans can totally thrive on a vegan diet, I think people would consider it more. It's just tough because most people grow up with the standard American diet ingrained into their heads & lifestyles, even though it's really the exact thing that is killing us, the animals, and the environment.
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While I think that Alton is taking a step in the right direction, if he plans on eating eggs, he should really make it a point to buy them from local farms that he can visit and inspect himself. A few months ago, I bought Alicia's book, Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet, and the Veganomicon cookbook in an attempt to really educate myself about veganism and why the SAD is so detrimental to our health. I have taken baby steps to become meat and animal product free, however I do eat eggs. BUT, they are eggs from my own backyard! My mother raises her own chickens, which all roam free on our 9 acres in the countryside. For me personally, I feel okay about eating eggs that come from an animal that I know is treated with love and respect even long after she has laid her eggs. On a side note, my younger sister took one of the eggs, incubated it, and raised it into a full grown hen!! We call her Nugget, and she acts more like the family dog than our actual dogs do. She wanders into the basement, eats from our hands, and is a really interesting addition to our large family of pets.
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I am happy to hear Alton Brown is now aware and is choosing to not promote the horrendous factory farm egg industry. Hopefully Alton Brown will find the alternative routes that many of us have found to eggs in recipes and that he will share this information with his followers which will make him the example.
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Good for him. It's a small step for a better, and more kind life. That is all we can ask for.
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While there is still cruelty in any mass-produced eggs - organic or otherwise, I think that just being conscious about where your food comes from is a huge first step. So many people don't stop to think about what they put in their mouths, and I think if someone like Alton Brown can draw attention to the evils of factory farming then good for him.
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I keep chickens and am vegan. My 2 sons and husband are lacto-ovo vegetarians. Because it is their choice to eat eggs; I want my family to eat the healthiest eggs possible. We do not buy eggs at the store. My healthy and happy chickens have room to roam, a comfortable coop, organic feed and lots of "treats" that would otherwise go into the compost heap. We share extra eggs with our neighbors which decreases their utilization of store bought eggs...therefore, decreasing suffering, at least on some level...to me every little bit helps.
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I love Alton Brown! I also know he cares a lot about the environment, he's given some great environmental advice on his show over the years and he has appeared several times at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's annual environmental seafood event (I meant him there a few years ago, he kissed me!). I think if everybody made a few changes in their lives that were practical for them, then it would make a bigger difference than if we tried to get everyone else to be a vegan. That's what The Kind Diet is all about, making the best choices you can without judgement.
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I enjoy Alton's show. He's informative and educational. I applaud his efforts and hope he continues on his path.
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The farm I get my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) veggies from is going to start raising chickens for eggs. But I think they are as cruel free as you can get. The one person who works at the farm spent a few weeks building their home and they will be free to roam around the organic farm during the day. I just recently decided I was making the switch to vegan (I have been vegetarian for 6 years) but I think that this kind of egg wouldnt be the worst for people to eat. :)
(Lisa I just read your comment and also didn't realise about the brooding thing.. I must say though if someone chooses to eat eggs and at least gets ones where the chickens get to roam around in the sun all day then surely that is better than factory farmed eggs.)
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Lisa, Thank you for the education. I did not know that. It makes sense though, now that you have pointed it out. Poor hens! I am so glad that I am Vegan, and not contributing to their suffering anymore.
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I've always liked Alton Brown, he's funny and any recipes I've tried of his have been good. Maybe we'll see more vegetarian/vegan recipes from him soon :)
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