[Rooster calling] Sun's coming up. [Charlsie] At the crack of
dawn, our assignment begins. Tracking where one of your
favourite foods comes from. We're visiting an organic farm
near Holstein, Ontario, two hours north of Toronto. We're here to see... ..chickens. Oh my gosh, look at them all. I didn't realize every
chicken will lay an egg every morning. [Beth] Yep. [Charlsie] Beth Simpson and her
husband Lloyd begin their day at 5 AM... There's a jumbo. [Charlsie] ..collecting hundreds
of eggs, from 500 chickens. Oh, there's one
coming out, oh my gosh. [Clucking] Oh my God! It's warm. [Charlsie] They get
a special feed too. This is heavy. [Beth laughs] What's in here Beth,
what are they getting? It's all the grasses and grains. It's their protein
compressed together. [Charlsie] Beth says she
adds hay with alfalfa. She shows us what farming
chickens for organic eggs is all about. They have the ability to run
free, they have all organic feed so they are raised to be as
natural to a normal chicken's life as we can get. So are your hens happy here? Yes. How can you tell? You heard them crooning. I did. And they croon, and they
buck, and they just are happy chickens. They can run around anywhere
they want to go. This is our egg sorting
room and our coolers. [Charlsie] But does a happy
chicken lay a healthier egg? So Beth, we were hoping to take
some eggs with us today to test them. Is that alright with you? I love that, it's nice to
know the quality of your eggs. [Charlsie] Beth's a member of a
small-farmers' cooperative and their eggs sell for
around $8 a dozen. We want to test her
eggs and a whole lot more. Alright, let's get crackin. We've got Green Valley,
enriched colony farm. [Charlsie] It's
gotten complicated. Free run, omega-3... [Charlsie] And expensive. PC Organic, $6.79. These are just Compliments large
size eggs, and they're $2.75. Huh. [Charlsie] But I do wonder if
the cheapest eggs are just as healthy as the
pricier organic ones? To find out we're sending 28
dozen eggs, plus Beth's for nutritional analysis. So these are the conventional
eggs, the cheap guys. We've got no name, Compliments,
Gray Ridge, Burnbrae. These are the
organic eggs here... [Charlsie] And
some of the priciest. Compliments, Kirkland, PC,
and Burnbrae, Gold Egg organic brown eggs. Eggs from free range hens,
fed an organic diet. [Charlsie] A few
more from small farms. Bekings,
Yorkshire-- Beth's brand. And, we throw in some
mid-range options too. Free Run, it says from free
roaming hens in open-concepts barns. Hmm. [Charlsie] That's
fourteen different brands. The lab will test conventional,
organic, and free run eggs for us. Hundreds of them,
to answer one big question. Do you think that the cheapest
eggs are just as nutritious as the most expensive ones? I generally do buy organic but
whether they're healthy or not, I really don't know. I mean, I would assume so. I think that this overspending
and truly high cost for organic is totally useless. I know that some people believe
it's healthier but for me, I don't. Do you think that the cheapest
eggs are just as nutritious as the most expensive ones? I actually don't know. And would you be willing to pay
more money for a more nutritious egg?
-I would. Oh yeah.
One hundred percent. [Charlsie] So which egg is it? We check nutritional labels
but find they're inconsistent, listing some but not all
nutrients and making them hard to compare. So this food sciences lab is
testing these eggs for us, checking vitamins A, D, and E,
protein, cholesterol. And today, fats,
including omega-3. So we follow a two-day
extraction procedure. [Charlsie] Let's get
cracking, literally. That is step one. Mix a full dozen eggs from
a carton... ..to create one sample. And next? [scientist] We add certain
reagents to our samples. We follow the hydrolysis step. [Charlsie] Using some
strong acid and boiling water. [scientist] And at the end we
have the top layer of fat that gets separated. [Charlsie] When it comes to food
analysis, there are a lot of steps. [scientist] We use it for the
final vialing. [Charlsie] We're showing
you some of the big ones. Last but not least, loading
those vials into this gas chromatography instrument. This piece of lab equipment
will spit out a breakdown. As we wait for those numbers, we
hit the streets to find out more about your egg consumption. How many eggs would you
say you eat in a week? Two to four. And egg salad. -We love to make egg salad.
-Me too. How many eggs would you
say you have in a week? About six. -24.
-What? Yeah.
Protein! -Bodybuilding.
-Seriously? [Charlsie] He's
not the only one. What's for dinner? I'm making you omelettes. [Charlsie] The Kin family buys
about six dozen eggs a week. We drop by to find out more
about their love of eggs. Wendy, why do you eat so many? It's convenient.
It's quick. We're a busy family. We love the taste of eggs. And we exercise. So right after a
workout we'll eat eggs. What are you actually buying? We don't--
we're not too picky. I don't really know one
brand for another. Okay. But when we do see omega-3s,
we just buy them. And Wendy, anything in
particular for you about omega-3? The body doesn't naturally
produce omega-3, so I'm all about supplements. And you have
growing teenage girls. [Robert] Oh, they eat a lot,
they eat a lot. [Charlsie] Does omega-3 in
eggs really do all that? We're calling on registered
dietitian Aja Gyimah to find out. Omega-3s are really important
for brain health, they're really important for inflammation as
well as heart health, and then also for growth and development
in the early stages of life. [Charlsie] Adults need 1.1 to
1.6 grams of omega-3 in a day. So is it worth it to pay $2
more for these omega eggs? I would prefer to get my
omega-3s from another source where I know I'm going to be
meeting my daily needs. What would be better
sources of omega-3? So definitely any fatty fish,
salmon is a huge one, and also things like walnuts, flax seeds. Most nuts and seeds
will have omega-3s. [Charlsie] Bottom line, when it
comes to omega-3 some experts say there are better
quality sources than eggs. But what about protein in eggs? Whether you're like, a baby or
whether you're over 90 years old, you all need protein and
it's super important to get protein in so using eggs to
provide that protein is going to be a very efficient way to
help you maintain or even build muscle mass. [Charlsie] Aja says eggs are a
great source of protein, and most of us can eat
about five to seven a week. If you're concerned about
cholesterol, talk to your doctor. Now it's time to find out
If pricier eggs pack a more nutritious punch. Our lab results are in. In the eggs we test, when it
comes to conventional and big brand organic eggs, for most of
the nutrients, there is no real difference. I'm actually quite shocked. [Charlsie] David Soberman is
a professor and the Canadian National Chair in
strategic marketing. I definitely would have
expected, and I think the average consumer would have
expected that the organic eggs would have been a bit better. [Charlsie] Remember, we tested
conventional and organic eggs from these big brands. No name to PC Organics, Sobeys'
Compliments, from two of the biggest egg suppliers in
the country, both Burnbraes, Gray Ridge, and their
organic brand, Gold Egg. On average, when it comes to
cholesterol, protein, vitamins A, E and E, the differences are
so small registered dieticians tell us it doesn't count. And in fact, in our test, some
organic eggs actually have less vitamins than their
conventional brands. There are some
notable exceptions. And, when it comes to omega-3,
these organic eggs have double the amount than conventional,
but one egg still has nowhere near what you need in a day. In the end, not much difference
in nutrition, but there sure is when it comes to cost. I think this might actually
clear up a lot of confusion for our consumers because most
people might be buying these big brand organic eggs because they
think they're going to provide more nutrients, however now we
know that conventional eggs are actually able to hold their own. [Charlsie] We share our results
with the Organic Council of Ontario. They say unlike conventional
feed, theirs is gmo and pesticide free, plus people buy
organics to support the more humane treatment of animals. There are big differences
in the cost of production. If you're going to produce an
egg organically it doesn't cost the same as producing
an egg industrially. Now, as always there is
a "but", okay? [Charlsie] And what about those
small-farm organics we test, and free run eggs? Any differences there? I do think that is
really interesting. [♪♪♪] [Charlsie] How do
Beth's eggs compare? They need to have proper
nutrition, proper space. [Charlsie] Is what's good
for chickens good for you too? [Charlsie] This is
your marketplace. Put this on... [Charlsie] We put more than
300 eggs to the test. Now, time to find out if
how hens are raised makes any nutritional difference. I care more about the
ethical standards of how the chickens are kept. [Charlsie] But there
certainly is confusion. Do you know the difference
between free run and free range? No. No, I don't. I was just gonna ask, are
they not the same thing? That says enriched colony farm. Do those things
mean anything to you? I don't even know what that
means, enriched colony farm, it's very confusing. Free run, free range, enriched
colony, all those things-- are those terms confusing
on the egg cartons? I think to the average
consumer they would be. Seems like a bit of
advertising to me. Do you think if they were
clearer you would make a different choice
about what eggs you buy? Yes, absolutely. We ask all the big
brands for a farm tour. But they say no, some citing
concerns over COVID and others tell us to speak to
the Egg Farmers of Canada. So we do, but they won't
give us access either. [Charlsie] Instead, we find
some footage on their websites. Here's enriched colony, larger
cages than these conventional ones, with a perch bar,
scratch pad and nest box. It's very appealing to be
looking at something that's got green grass, 'cause then
you think happy chicken. In fact, it's not-- it's
really just stuck in a cage. Making it sound better
than what it actually is. [Charlsie] Burnbrae
owns Green Valley. We tell them some of you
find this marketing misleading. They say consumers with
questions about hen housing can visit their website. In Canada, 85% of our eggs
come from hens in cages. So what does
cage-free look like? Well, there's free run
with open concept barns. And free range is similar, but
with doors like this to access the outdoors. What about the
big-brand organics? We know the hens get an
organic feed and are free range, however, none of the companies
are willing to show us. But it turns out, in our test,
all organics aren't the same. The small-farm eggs have a
lot more vitamin D, E, and even slightly more protein than
the big-brand organic eggs. Oh, is that right? Honestly, I would rather
support the small farm. That's good to know. I would seek those eggs out. [Charlsie] So what is
behind those differences? Poultry nutritionists explain
that differences in nutrition are based on feed, and sometimes
the breed of the chicken and age of the flock. Farmer Beth believes
something else helps too... Just like humans, they need to
have proper nutrition, proper space. They need to go outside and get
the sun, they need to be able to run and feel happy and free. Do you think the organic
chickens and the organic eggs from the big organic operations
get the same treatment that your chickens do? I don't want to
answer that one. [Charlsie] We tell all the
companies about our small-farm test results. Some say they follow industry
standards and provide their customers with many options. L.H. Gray and Costco
don't respond. For most eggs, when you pay
more, it's about happier hens. But if you can't stomach the
$8 a dozen for Beth's eggs and still want cage-free,
you could consider free run. They cost less, but in our test,
nutritionally pack almost as much of a punch. Might as well stick with the
cheaper and keep my money in my pocket. Price is definitely a factor. [Charlsie] Dieticians say, no
matter what price, eggs are part of balanced diet and a good
source of protein and vitamin E. Awesome, it's great to know that
we can feed him whatever we choose and he'll be fine.
