I've been using a lot of eggs lately. All this baking and cooking means that I use boxes of those little portable protein bombs. Like most people, I buy my eggs at the local shop or supermarket and I always buy free range and, if possible, organic ones. Or at least I think that's what I am buying since that's what it says on the box and I have to trust the rules, ethics etc that regulate the industry.
Well, and you can probably guess where this is going...there is a large investigation going on in Germany at the moment into the possible malpractice by some of mislabeling eggs as organic when in fact the strict rules for organic food (including the living conditions of the hens) weren't adhered to.
As a consumer there comes the point when you have to trust that what is in your shopping basket is what you think it is. With that trust slowly being eroded, where will we go from here?
I feel sorry for the vast majority of farmers who stick to the rules and whose reputation gets tarnished by a small number of "bad eggs in the basket". I am furious at the people (ie "the bad eggs") who are misleading consumers to enhance their profits. And I am sad that for some people this will mean turning their backs on doing the right thing, no longer buying free range.
This is a tricky one for sure. I buy eggs from a company that has an online site where you can watch (via cameras on the farm) the chickens wander all over the farm. I can see that they get plenty of fresh air, grass and space to wander about that isn't muddy and over crowded. I pay more for these (but they aren't classed as organic) but I am happy to buy happy eggs. Some of the organic ones didn't have very much space, even though they were outdoors in the fresh air.
ReplyDeleteI love that you can watch the chickens online - how cool is that! Happy eggs are definitely the way to go - organic or not. Kirsten x
DeleteYou are correct. About all we can do if we don't produce the items ourselves is to trust that the government groups are doing their jobs in safeguarding the food supply. I personally think, like you say there are a few bad apples but, most of the food is safe and in most cases I think we are buying what we expect. The only other option is to gorw your own food and keep your own livestock. For some that works but I do not imagine that will be an option for everyone in today's world. Some of us are just going to have to try our best to choose wisely from what is offered.
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