The human factor | White, brown, organic: which is the greenest egg?

“Are organic eggs really better for the environment? And what about brown eggs? », asks Gabrielle.

The answer may surprise you: yes, organic eggs are better for the environment, but they would be even better if they were white.

To better understand this response, we must dissect the different parameters that can influence the footprint of egg production; and in particular, the way laying hens are raised and fed.

The type of chicken coop

Today there is a whole range of methods for raising chickens: they can be free-range or in conventional cages, in large aviaries on several floors, or even in so-called “enriched colony” housing, equipped with boxes. nest, scratching mats and perches.

When an egg is certified organic, the hen must have been raised in an environment where it has space and access to the outdoors. This can, however, reduce the productivity of the farm, since free-range hens have a higher mortality rate and more risk of contracting diseases.

From an animal welfare perspective, these are important aspects to consider. But from an environmental point of view, the hen’s living conditions do not weigh heavily. What is most important is what we feed him.

Food

“A large part of the carbon footprint of egg production comes from the hen’s feed,” says Maurice Doyon, full professor in the department of agri-food economics and consumer sciences at Laval University.

For an egg to be certified organic, the hen that laid it must have been fed grains from organic farming – therefore grown sustainably, without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. In this sense, the organic egg is preferable to the conventional egg¹.

The brown egg question

However, the organic egg is not perfect. “There is a bone, if I may say so,” points out Maurice Doyon.

Although white and brown eggs are nutritionally similar, the hens that lay them do not have the same needs. Brown chickens need more space and more food to ultimately produce fewer eggs than white chickens. This is why brown eggs are more expensive than white eggs.

The ideal, from an environmental point of view, would therefore be to have white organic eggs. Except that finding them on grocery shelves is a feat.

“All organic eggs, in Canada and Quebec, are brown. And that’s nonsense,” sighs Maurice Doyon.

Why are there no white organic eggs?

“Because, like brown bread, the consumer thinks that brown eggs are better,” replies Sylvain Lapierre, president of the Federation of Quebec Egg Producers (FPOQ). Except that the white egg and the brown egg have exactly the same nutritional value. It’s really a myth we tell ourselves. »

Result: when producers offer organic white eggs, they are shunned by consumers.

“Producers respond to the market. If people moved more towards white eggs, organic producers would follow suit,” indicates Sylvain Lapierre.

Verdict ?

Although it is brown, the organic egg still trumps the conventional egg – whatever it is. This is the conclusion that the FPOQ reached, in a study carried out with around fifteen producers, the results of which have not yet been published. This study brings together conventional chickens, raised in all types of housing, and organic chickens.

“We see that the production of organic eggs has a better environmental footprint, even if the hens consume more feed and produce fewer eggs,” says Sylvain Lapierre.

In short, depending on what our wallet can afford, the best environmental choice remains to buy organic eggs, or failing that, white eggs – while waiting for organic white eggs to become more widely available, perhaps one day.

1. Read the article “Organic or local: which is the best choice for the environment?” »