The codes written on the shells indicate the farming method. The number noted in front of the letters FR is the country of origin.

• 0: Organic, the hens have outside access, a diet based on organic cereals, without GMOs, no recourse to antibiotics.
• 1: Open air, like “Label Rouge” eggs.
• 2: On the ground, in a hangar, with no outside access.

• 3: In a furnished cage, with roughly the area of ​​an A4 sheet.

Marketing prowess

On the shelves, it’s hard not to be mistaken because some packaging is ultra-misleading.

L’œuf des Mauges or Word of breeders have a very well-made packaging because you will have the impression of buying eggs from a small regional producer with his name and his photo, mentions “Cereals 100% French”, “Family farms”, “Fresh eggs dated on the day of laying” … You then feel the confidence but in fact, they are n ° 3 and the poor gallinaceae have never seen the slightest blade of grass!

Don’t be fooled by the term “category A”, it’s just that on the shelves.

Category B, most often due to cracked shells, is reserved for the food industry and catering (egg products).

“Big eggs”, a regulatory or marketing term?

This is the size and it is a mandatory mention on the labeling. As with T-shirts, there are sizes:

• S: <53 g (Small).
• M: 53-63 g (Medium).
• L: 63-73g (Coarse) (Matins).
• XL:> 73 g (Very large) (The egg of our villages).

There can also be deception, especially when you weigh the eggs, the difference is just a few grams.

At Matines, beware of the “eggs from France” logo and the words “picked up in the cool of the morning”, or “without antibiotic treatment” … This is to slow down the emergence of resistance to antibiotics, but the hens are always raised in cages. .

What does the term “Hull freshness” mean?

The DCR, the Recommended Eating Date for an egg is 28 days maximum after the date of laying. For “boiled” consumption or to integrate them into raw preparations (mayonnaise, chocolate mousse), it is recommended not to exceed 9 days after the laying date.

“Shell freshness” certainly, but not after leaving them for 10 days in your refrigerator. Beyond that, they are no longer called “extra-fresh” but only “fresh”.

What about the “Bleu, Blanc, Cœur” label?

The Bleu, Blanc, Cœur label is a private brand that has signed a nutritional commitment charter with the state.

The feed of the chickens is enriched with flax seeds. These are natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids good for cardiovascular health, which you find in the yolks of eggs. You can therefore rely on this label and also on the mention: “Fermiers” like the Loué eggs, because it has now been regulated since 2015.

There should be no more than 6,000 hens on the farm and the eggs should be collected and sorted by hand every day.

Poulehouse, “the egg that does not kill the hen”

It is an initiative that started in 2017. The first egg that does not kill the “old” hen or the male chick. Each year in France:

• 50 million hens are killed at the age of 18 months because they do not lay enough eggs when they can live to 6 years and more.
• The same number of male chicks are crushed or gassed because they are considered useless in the egg and meat sectors.

In HenHouse, sexing is not done in-vivo but in-ovo (therefore in the egg) and they undertake to take care of the old hens until their natural death.

Eggs in processed products?

In the vast majority of cases, the eggs used by the food industry are chicken eggs:

• Raised in cages (n ° 3) when nothing is specified behind.
• Raised to the ground (# 2) as in this product.

However, it is possible to do otherwise because some brands have already chosen to systematically use eggs from hens raised in the open air, including:

• Amora and Lesieur in their mayonnaise.

• St Michel or Michel and Augustin in their cookies.

The nutritional benefits of eggs?

White provides very good quality proteins.

Yellow provides choline essential for memory and antioxidants (lutein, zeaxanthin) beneficial for eye health, not to mention vitamins B9 & B12, zinc, selenium …

So do not hesitate to eat “real” eggs to avoid falling into certain drifts, such as Le Papondu, born of 2 biological engineers… it is a 100% vegetable pseudo-egg whose exact composition is not known.