The recent salmonella debacle is disgusting, no doubt, but even more so? The litany of offenses committed throughout the years by Jack DeCoster , the owner of Wright County Egg. (Mr. DeCoster is one of the largest egg producers in the country. Beware). Animal abuse, environmental offenses, and sexual assault of workers? It's kind of amazing that someone has the ability to lead operations to such despicable levels.
A friend of mine did more research on DeCoster and came up with a list of his brands which should be avoided. I thought I'd pass the information on: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms, and Kemps.
Of course, when looking at this list, the question then becomes, who do I buy from? Although many of us believe that buying "cage-free" or "free-range" is the answer, it clearly isn't. The Humane Society has included a wonderful guide on their site to help decode all of the egg jargon. It seems to me that "Certified Organic" and "Animal Welfare Approved" are the labels you'd most want to see. However, as you can tell, there are problems with this, too. It makes sense, then that more and more people are adopting a vegan lifestyle which I applaud. Although I don't think I could go that extreme, I'm quite open to using half a banana instead of an egg the next time I make a cake. (Until this very moment, I had no idea that this was possible. Hooray for animal free options!)
However, I am not going to lie. I've tried a few tofu scramblers and although yummy in their own way, I do not think they compare at all to the taste of fresh eggs. And overall, if the hens (hormone and antibiotic free, of course) are raised in proper conditions with plenty of space and fresh air and a proper diet, I don't have a problem with raising them for the sake of laying eggs. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that as a kid, my sisters and I assisted our parents in raising chickens. In my opinion, the key is that it is done humanely and locally.
So where does a consumer begin? Check it out! Of course, if you want to ensure that hens are being raised humanely, the best option is to actually visit the farm you'd like to patronize and check out the conditions yourself. This may seem impossible to many but look at the resources now available to us. And in general, remember that although a small, local farm doesn't mean immunity to disgraceful tactics, it does most certainly mean a decrease in pollution. Just think about the volume of pollution created by factory farms. Now tack on the exhaust of the big trucks, transporting all of that food your way. (Cough, cough).
Now consider forming a group with neighbors and taking weekend trips (carpooling when possible, of course) to a local farm to stock up on healthy foods. Or maybe you'd rather join a CSA. And if you have children, imagine the wonderful lessons you are promoting by patronizing a local farm or joining a CSA! Not only are you teaching them to think about the origins of their food, you are also showing them how to work toward a common community goal. Also, since fresh farm vegetables are so much tastier than anything canned, they might actually stop fighting you about eating all of their veggies. And finally, in this day and age of rapidly changing technology, it is always nice when people can slow down, remember what's truly important, and thank their local farmer for providing the most basic necessity.
I know life gets crazy. Due to my continual nomadic life, I can't say I'm totally practicing what I preach at the moment. But once I do get settled, I plan to utilize the Local Harvest website and join a CSA. In the meantime, I will continue to patronize my local farmer's market. As for those eggs, I'm having a pretty easy time avoiding them altogether these days. Plus, after you've had the farm fresh kind with those eye popping yellow yolks, going back to the supermarket kind just doesn't cut it.
Oh, and I plan to make some brownies this week. I'll most certainly try that banana trick. Hooray for alternatives!
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