Are Pasture-Raised Eggs Better? What the Label Really Means

When you hear the term “pasture-raised,” what do you picture?

Hens roaming freely on green grass. Sunshine. Fresh air. Bugs and plants. A natural life that produces a better egg.

But for many pasture-raised eggs at the grocery store, that picture isn’t always what you’re buying.

Somewhere along the way, we started trusting food labels more than we trust where our food actually comes from. Eggs are one of the clearest examples of how this has gone wrong.

The term pasture-raised has been heavily greenwashed.

(Greenwashing refers to the practice of using natural-sounding words, imagery, or labels to make a product appear more environmentally friendly or wholesome than it truly is: without meaningful changes to how it’s actually produced.)

Don’t get me wrong: all eggs contain valuable nutrients.

Eggs have fed humans for thousands of years and remain one of the most nutrient-dense foods available, providing choline, B vitamins, selenium, high-quality protein, and fat-soluble vitamins.

But it’s also true that not all eggs are created equal, and some store-bought ‘pasture-raised egg’ labels don’t tell the full story.

Some eggs provide healthier fats and more bioavailable nutrients.

While others quietly deliver the same types of fats found in industrial seed oils, even when the carton looks wholesome and “pasture-raised.”

This doesn’t mean pasture-raised eggs are a scam.

But it does mean the term is often misleading.

So I want to bring clarity to the major discrepancies between truly pasture-raised systems, and large-scale “pasture-raised” factory operations

My goal isn’t fear or outrage, it’s awareness, to help you understand how eggs are actually produced, so you can make informed choices that align with your health, values, and budget.

I want you to be able to put your money into food you actually believe in and trust.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

• - What pasture-raised eggs actually mean
• - What common egg labels do and don’t tell you
• - Why many people struggle with egg sensitivities today
• - How what a chicken eats (even while on pasture) changes the fats in the egg
• - The real nutritional differences between eggs
• - And why sourcing standards matter far more than marketing claims

As an egg farmer building a regenerative egg system from the ground up, I’ve seen every side of the egg industry.

I’ve built a regenerative farm as a first generation farmer, Angel Acres, with pasture-raised egg layers.

I formulated my own custom corn- and soy-free feed for my farm and our regenerative farm partners.

And I’ve written detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for our small farm partners that govern how our eggs are produced.

With that firsthand experience, let’s uncover what truly separates high-quality pasture-raised eggs from the rest.

What are pasture-raised eggs?

Cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised, happy hens, all natural... the label list goes on! But what do these even mean?

“Cage-free” simply means the hens aren’t confined to small wire cages.

That’s an improvement, and yes, it’s better than cages where a chicken barely moves her entire life.

But cage-free hens typically still live indoors, in large barns with thousands of birds, crowded together on litter-covered floors.

Their feed?

The same standard industrial feed mix: corn, soy, and byproducts.

“Free-range” usually means the birds technically have access to the outdoors.

In practice, this often looks like a large indoor barn, small doors leading outside, but no guarantee the birds actually go out.

Feed remains the same industrial corn- and soy-based ration. Often GMO and laced with glyphosate.

These systems improve optics more than nutrition.

“Pasture-Raised”

In the simplest terms, pasture-raised eggs come from chickens that spend time on pasture and return to a secure coop for shelter, sleeping, and laying eggs.

This is how eggs were produced for thousands of years, until relatively recently when industrial agriculture pulled chickens off pasture and put them inside large buildings called confinement animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to maximize output and reduce costs.

When eggs became a commodity.

Chickens are meant to live on pasture. Hens are natural omnivores, not vegetarians. On true pasture, they forage for insects, worms, and diverse plant matter in addition to their supplemental feed. They scratch, peck, move freely, and express natural behaviors: things chickens are biologically wired to do.

But here’s the problem: the term “pasture-raised” on a label does not tell the full story.

Not all pasture-raised eggs are created equal, and many of the pasture-raised eggs you see at the grocery store are produced by large industrial corporations using very different systems than what most people imagine.

In reality, there are two very different types of pasture-raised egg systems.

And one is clearly better than the other.

The Two Different Pasture-Raised Egg Models

To understand why pasture-raised eggs can look so different in practice, it helps to compare the two main systems used today.

1. Large, Stationary Barns with Pasture Access

In this model, hens are housed in large, fixed barns with fenced outdoor areas surrounding the building. While the birds technically have outdoor access, the system is static and highly centralized. 

These operations often look like this:

• - Stationary barns holding 20,000+ hens (more like a factory)
• - Small doors that provide limited access to a fixed outdoor area
• - Doors often kept closed for part of the day so hens eat enough feed and lay eggs in nest boxes, not out on pasture
• - Birds spending most of their time indoors in large factory buildings
• - Outdoor areas that quickly become overgrazed, muddy, or nearly void of vegetation
• - High exposure to waste and parasites
• - In many cases, a heavy reliance on chemical pest control in barns and pharmaceuticals to manage disease. When tens of thousands of hens are concentrated in a single location, disease pressure increases simply due to numbers. As a result, pharmaceutical interventions are often necessary to keep birds healthy and productive.

This model is certainly an improvement over conventional factory farming, where hens are confined to cages or overcrowded barns with no outdoor access at all.

However, it is still very different from what most people imagine when they hear the term pasture-raised.

In fact, someone recently shared a photo on Twitter showing that when they scanned the USDA registration code on a “pasture-raised” egg carton, the mapped location revealed large industrial barns.

That’s not a scam since they technically get some pasture-access, but it is misleading. And this is the model used by most large industrial brands selling “pasture-raised” eggs in grocery stores today.

2. Mobile Pasture-Raised Systems (True Pasture Access and Regenerative)

The second model, mobile pasture-raised, takes pasture access a step further.

This is the system used by many small regenerative farms across the country.

The first difference is that the farms are often smaller and have a lot less hens.

That alone reduces disease pressure.

And instead of large stationary barns, hens live in mobile coops that are regularly moved to fresh grass. The birds are rotated across pasture, allowing the land time to rest and regenerate.

This system provides:

• - Constant access to clean, living pasture
• - Evenly distributed manure that improves soil health
• - Lower parasite and disease pressure
• - Cleaner living conditions
• - Healthier, lower-stress birds
• - Less reliance on routine drugs

In mobile systems, chickens truly get to roam, scratch, peck, and behave like chickens: outdoors, on grass, in sunlight, in a low-stress environment that naturally supports immune health.

This approach requires significantly more labor:

• - Coops must be moved regularly
• - Feed and water systems must be mobile
• - Pasture must be actively managed and rested

But the outcome for the land, the animals, and the eggs is different.

• - Different land health
• - Different disease risk
• - Different farmer involvement
• - And ultimately, different eggs

This distinction matters because it is not fair, or accurate, to lump these two systems together under one label.

Understanding pasture-raised eggs means looking beyond the label and into the system behind the carton. 

Because while the words may be the same, the reality on the ground often isn’t.

Is “Pasture-Raised” Regulated?

As demand for healthier, more humanely produced eggs has grown, so have the number of labels and claims designed to attract consumers. 

Unfortunately, many of these terms are confusing, and sometimes intentionally so. Add in idyllic imagery on egg cartons, and it becomes even harder for shoppers to understand what they’re really buying.

It’s important to understand that the term “pasture-raised” is not clearly defined or regulated by the USDA or FDA.

That means there is no federally required minimum for:

• - Amount of pasture or grass per bird
• - Space per hen
• - Time spent outdoors
• - Frequency of pasture rotation

As long as the claim is not outright fraudulent, the phrase can legally be used, even if hens spend most of their lives indoors or on barren ground.

A few important realities:

• - USDA approval of pasture-raised label claims typically does not require field verification of pasture use. In many cases, a producer submits an affidavit and internal documentation describing outdoor access, rather than evidence of how birds actually live day to day.
• - The line between “access to outdoors” and meaningful time on living pasture is one of the most common criticisms in the egg industry.
• - Because “pasture-raised” has historically lacked a strict definition, producers can legally use the term as long as they describe some form of outdoor access.
• - This can result in large barns with small exterior doors or dirt lots being labeled “pasture-raised,” even if hens spend only a small fraction of their lives outside.

This is why understanding pasture-raised eggs requires looking beyond the label and into the system behind the carton, including how often hens are rotated to fresh pasture; whether the land remains living, vegetated, and productive; what the hens are fed (this matters just as much as outdoor access); and whether standards are clearly defined, consistently enforced, and transparent.

Important note: my discussion here is not a call for more government regulation of food labels. More regulation is rarely the solution.

The better path forward is learning to trust labels less, ask better questions, and know your farmer (or your food source) whenever possible.

Are Pasture-Raised Eggs Healthier? (Nutritional Differences)

To answer whether pasture-raised eggs are truly healthier, we need to look at three key areas:

1. Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
2. Phytonutrients (plant-derived compounds)
3. Fat composition (the types of fats in the egg)

Let’s start with micronutrients.

Micronutrients: All Eggs Provide Nutrition

The reality is that hens raised in barns are fed carefully formulated diets designed to meet their basic micronutrient needs. While these feeds are often high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), they do supply essential vitamins and minerals. As a result, barn-raised eggs still provide valuable nutrition.

Eggs in general are an excellent source of:

• - Highly bioavailable protein
• - Choline
• - Biotin
• - Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
• - Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
• - Vitamin B12
• - Folate
• - Selenium

So yes, all eggs are nutritious.

Where True Pasture-Raised Eggs Differ Nutritionally

Where pasture-raised eggs begin to stand apart is what gets added on top of that baseline nutrition.

A hen’s diet directly affects what nutrients are deposited into the egg yolk. And you simply cannot replicate the nutrient diversity of a living pasture ecosystem using a standardized grain ration inside a barn.

Truly pasture-raised hens forage grasses, herbs, flowers, and insects.

This results in a far more diverse diet than grain-fed barn hens, and a greater deposition of certain nutrients into the egg yolk

The most consistent differences show up in fat-soluble vitamins and phytonutrients.

Pasture-raised eggs are well documented in the scientific literature to contain:

• - More vitamin D (ref)
• - More vitamin E (ref)
• - More vitamin A (ref)

(And in our own lab testing, our eggs were also shown to contain 55% more vitamin B3, 82% more vitamin B5, and 20% more vitamin B1, likely due to a combo of our feed and diverse pasture access.)

These differences occur due to the living environments of the hens.

Sunlight exposure allows hens to synthesize vitamin D, which is then deposited into the yolk. Barn-raised hens typically spend most of their lives indoors with limited natural light.

Fresh grass consumption increases intake of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin E, vitamin K1 and beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A). Hens convert vitamin K1 into vitamin K2, and beta-carotene is converted into retinol (the bioavailable form of vitamin A), which are are deposited into the egg yolk.

This is why eggs from hens living on real pasture often contain higher levels of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K2. 

In short: you can meet basic nutritional requirements with formulated feed and chickens fed inside of a barn.

But you cannot replicate the complex nutrient input of a living ecosystem when chickens are raised outside on pasture.

And that difference shows up in the egg.

More Phytonutrients

Eggs from hens with access to pasture, especially botanically diverse pasture, contain higher levels and a wider variety of phytonutrients in their yolks compared to eggs from hens fed an indoor, grain-based diet (ref).

Beyond vitamins and minerals, there is another class of beneficial compounds called phytochemicals, also known as phytonutrients.

Phytonutrients are bioactive protective compounds produced by plants as part of their secondary metabolism in response to environmental stressors like sunlight, pests, and soil conditions. This group includes a wide range of compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids, polyphenols, saponins, and more. 

These compounds are responsible for the color, flavor, and aroma of many fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and many are well documented in the scientific literature for their health-supporting properties (ref, ref) including:

• - Anti-inflammatory effects
• - Improved gut and metabolic health
• - Support for eye and cardiovascular health
• - Reduced oxidative stress
• - Potential anti-cancer effects

We usually think of phytonutrients as coming from plant foods like fruits, vegetables, herbs, tea, and coffee. But most people don’t realize that pasture-raised animal products can also be a source (ref).

Chickens do not create phytonutrients themselves. Instead, they acquire them from their diet. When hens consume a diverse array of grasses, herbs, forbs, and insects on pasture, they ingest plant-derived phytonutrients. Some of these compounds are then deposited into the egg yolk.

In contrast, barn-raised hens are fed a standardized grain ration with very little botanical diversity. As a result, phytonutrients are often absent or present at very low levels in eggs from confinement systems.

The principle is simple:

More diverse plants eaten → more diverse plant compounds ingested → more deposited into the egg

This is one of the clearest examples of why pasture-raised eggs are more nutritious.

Truly pasture-raised systems produce eggs with greater nutritional complexity, not just higher vitamin content.

So yes, all eggs provide nourishment.

But eggs from truly pasture-raised hens can deliver a broader spectrum of protective plant compounds that simply cannot be replicated with grain-based indoor feeding.

What Chickens Eat Matters, and Changes the Fats in Eggs

This is one of the most important, and most misunderstood, differences between eggs.

Eggs contain fat, and it's a mix of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) and Saturated fats.

But the amount of each type of fat in an egg depends almost entirely on what the chicken eats.

Chickens cannot be 100% grass-fed, they require a supplemental feed. And yes, that includes pasture-raised chickens.

Chickens are monogastric animals (like humans), meaning they can’t get all their nutrients from pasture, and require a supplemental feed to meet their energy and protein needs. Even when raised on pasture, 70–90% of a hen’s calories still come from feed.

Which brings us to the most important point of all:

What a chicken eats matters more than the label.

Because the fats in the feed become the fats in the egg.

Many people understand that some human dietary fat choices have changed like swapping PUFA rich margarine in for butter that is naturally lower in PUFAs. 

Well, there has also been a huge change in what livestock are fed due to monocropped corn, soy and canola-based industrial agriculture. 

Most pasture-raised egg operations, especially large commercial brands, use the same off-the-shelf feed as conventional systems.

These feeds are typically high in:

• - Corn byproducts
• - Soy
• - Vegetable oils
• - Distillers grains

Most of which are rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), the same unstable fats found in industrial seed oils.

As a result, most pasture-raised eggs contain higher levels of omega-6 PUFAs than ancestral eggs, despite having access to pasture.

Yes, pasture access can improve vitamin content.

But fat composition is driven primarily by feed.

A higher-PUFA diet for livestock means higher PUFA levels in the food we eat.

And because of how animals are fed today, eggs can now contain PUFA levels comparable to canola oil. As shown below, 2 eggs can have the same amount of linoleic acid, an omega 6 PUFA found in seed oils, as just 1 tablespoon of canola oil.

Analyzing fatty acid testing results from MSU shows only a small difference between the large barn pasture-raised model and cage-free eggs at the grocery store when it comes to fatty acid profile.

So pasture-raised eggs will often have slightly more omega-3s, and slightly less omega-6s compared to cage-free eggs.

But because the feed is usually the same (corn and soy based), the overall fatty acid profiles remain surprisingly similar.

Many people work hard to avoid seed oils, only to unknowingly consume the same types of fats if eating a lot of eggs from chickens fed corn and soy each day. 

That’s why simply choosing “pasture-raised” at the store will not meaningfully reduce PUFA intake.

Why PUFAs Aren't Great for Human Health

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are chemically unstable fats due to their multiple double bonds. When exposed to heat, light, or oxygen (which happens during normal cooking and even during digestion) they oxidize easily, forming harmful byproducts linked to inflammation, metabolic disruption and cellular damage.

Omega 6 PUFAs like Linoleic Acid are also metabolized very differently, and fundamentally alters how our bodies produce energy at the cellular level: shifting from efficient energy production through oxidative phosphorylation (the ideal pathway), toward the backup, less efficient glycolytic pathway, which lowers total ATP production.

Excess PUFA intake has been associated with:

• - Slower metabolic rate
• - Lower energy levels
• - Increased fat storage and obesity risk
• - Elevated stress signaling
• - Greater oxidative damage
• - Faster skin aging
• - Impaired gut and immune function
• - Reduced ability to efficiently use carbohydrates
• - Increased appetite via CB1 endocannabinoid signaling

The fatty acid composition of what you eat matters, especially long term, since it influences metabolism, energy production, and your long-term resilience.

(If you want to go deeper into the science, I cover this extensively in my PUFA deep-dive video or PUFA deep-dive blog post depending on if you would like to watch or read!)

What Happens When You Change the Feed (What Sets our Eggs Apart)

This is where most pasture-raised eggs fall short, and where we chose to do something different.

I’m proud of what my team and I have built, because we didn’t just tweak marketing, we changed the egg itself.

An egg designed for human health.

By removing corn, soy, and high-PUFA industrial ingredients from our custom-made feed, we produce eggs much closer to what our great-great-grandparents would recognize.

We custom-formulated our own corn- and soy-free feed to be intentionally low in the same PUFAs found in seed oils.

The result is an egg with 73% less Omega 6 PUFA than the nation’s leading pasture-raised egg brand, better support for metabolism and hormonal balance, higher micronutrient density, and better flavor.

So our chickens are raised using the mobile pasture-raised system, and fed this custom corn- and soy free feed.

These are eggs designed for human health, and shaped by intention, not industrial efficiency.

Eggs that reflect how food used to be before modern feed reshaped the food system.

This feed to fat connection is why most “pasture-raised” eggs fall short.

And why knowing what pasture-raised chickens are eating matters just as much as where they roam.

Health Advantages of Corn- and Soy-Free, Low PUFA Eggs:

1. Lower PUFA Content

The fats in feed become the fats in the egg. Removing corn byproducts, soy, soybean oil, distillers grains and other high PUFA feed ingredients dramatically lowers PUFA deposition in the yolk. You are what you eat, eats.

2. Greater Oxidative Stability

PUFAs are chemically unstable due to their multiple double bonds. When exposed to heat, light, or oxygen (such as during cooking!) they oxidize more easily, forming compounds like lipid peroxides and malondialdehyde (MDA). Research shows that meat and eggs higher in PUFA oxidize more rapidly during cooking (r), producing harmful oxidation byproducts linked to inflammation, metabolic disruption, and cellular damage. Eggs lower in PUFA are more stable during cooking, resulting in fewer oxidative byproducts.

3. Less Allergenic

Soy proteins and corn residues, which are common allergens, can transfer from feed into eggs. Removing them improves egg tolerance for many people. We see this many times with our eggs! Many of our customers who previously couldn’t tolerate even pasture-raised eggs now digest ours with ease.

Are Pasture-Raised Eggs Easier to Digest?

At Angel Acres Egg Club, we do two things fundamentally differently, because how chickens live and what chickens eat changes the egg.

Eggs were a dietary staple for thousands of years. Yet today, more people report bloating, skin flare-ups, and digestive discomfort after eating eggs than ever before.

So what changed?

Modern egg production looks nothing like it did historically. Chickens are raised differently, fed differently, and live in environments far removed from their natural biology. That shift may help explain why eggs have become problematic for some people.

What if the issue isn’t the egg itself, but how the chicken is raised and what the chicken eats?

Many of our customers came to us because they couldn’t tolerate conventional eggs or even pasture-raised eggs. 

They experienced symptoms like bloating, digestive upset, skin irritation, or inflammation. Why?

Most pasture-raised hens today are still fed corn- and soy-based diets, which make up the majority of their calories. 

And two common dietary allergens (soy proteins and corn residues) can transfer from feed into eggs. 

On top of that, these feeds are high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), leading to higher PUFA eggs, which can irritate the gut lining and disrupt digestion for many individuals.

That’s where our eggs are different.

We remove these common triggers entirely by formulating a corn- and soy-free feed, designed to be low in the same PUFAs found in seed oils. By changing what the hens eat, we change what ends up in the egg.

For many people, that change makes all the difference.

We’ve seen firsthand that when chickens are raised on clean pasture and fed intentionally, our eggs become easier to digest for many people who previously struggled with them.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pasture-Raised Eggs

By now, it’s clear that “pasture-raised” can mean very different things depending on how eggs are actually produced.

So let’s clear up some of the most common points of confusion we see around pasture-raised eggs and grocery store labels.

Does pasture-raised mean corn- and soy-free?

No.

Even pasture-raised chickens require a supplemental feed, since they can’t meet their energy and protein needs from pasture alone. Most pasture-raised hens at the grocery store are still fed corn- and soy-based diets, which make up the majority of their calories.

Does pasture-raised mean non-GMO?

No, unless the label explicitly states it. (Which many do not! Just check out the 'Pasture-Raised' eggs at the store next time you are there).

Many grocery-store pasture-raised eggs come from hens fed GMO corn and soy. Those crops are commonly grown using chemical pesticides, and research shows that pesticide residues can transfer from feed into the egg yolk.

Does USDA Organic mean pasture-raised?

Not necessarily.

USDA Organic primarily refers to the feed being organic. While organic standards include outdoor access requirements, they do not require mobile pasture systems, continuous access to fresh grass, or meaningful daily foraging. Enforcement has also historically varied, allowing very different production systems to operate under the same label.

It’s also important to note that organic soybeans contain the same linoleic acid (omega-6 PUFA) as non-organic soybeans. That means organic eggs and non-organic eggs can still have very similar fatty acid profiles.

Why do pasture-raised eggs cost more?

Pasture-raised systems are less efficient by design.

Hens that move freely outdoors burn more calories, weigh less, and lay fewer eggs than birds confined to cages or barns. One study found that pastured hens weighed 14% less and produced about 15% fewer eggs per day compared to caged hens.

For anyone that has done pasture-raised poultry before will understand that some of the chickens are naughty and simply do not lay inside the coops! And instead choose to lay at various places around the pasture, leading to unavoidable egg loss (farmers collect less eggs with the same feed input).

There are also higher labor and infrastructure costs. Mobile coops, mobile feed systems, and mobile water access are far more challenging than stationary barn setups where everything is centralized.

Do orange yolks mean pasture-raised?

No.

Yolk color can be manipulated through feed additives, both natural and synthetic. There is even a yolk color chart producers can use to select the desired shade. This means a caged hen can lay a bright orange yolk.

That said, some natural additives like marigold powder (a flower) can increase beneficial compounds in the egg, such as lutein and astaxanthin. But yolk color alone does not indicate pasture access or overall egg quality.

Do pasture-raised eggs taste better?

Often, yes!

Hens with access to diverse pasture consume a wider range of plants and insects, which contributes phytonutrients that enhance flavor.

Additionally, eggs higher in omega-6 PUFAs tend to oxidize faster as they age, sometimes producing a fishy or stale taste. Our low PUFA eggs are more stable and tend to taste cleaner and richer.

Many of our customers notice the difference immediately!

What happens to pasture-raised chickens in the winter?

In snowy and cold winter months, flocks may be temporarily held stationary using the regenerative deep litter method, while still maintaining outdoor pasture access. Moving coops in very cold temperatures like Santa's sleigh would be inhumane and lead to a large death rate, chickens aren’t built for that kind of exposure.

Flock sizes remain small (typically 500–2,000 hens per farm), but instead of daily moves, the mobile coop is kept stationary or birds are housed in a small, well-ventilated barn for winter protection.

During this period, farmers use what’s known in regenerative agriculture as the deep litter method. Bedding materials such as straw or wood chips are layered over time, creating a thick organic base. Microorganisms, insects, and beneficial microbes break down manure throughout the winter, transforming waste into nutrient-rich compost, and generating heat. Come spring, this material is spread back onto pasture, improving soil structure, fertility, and microbial life.

This system:

• - Keeps the coop dry and warm
• - Reduces ammonia buildup
• - Supports bird health during extreme cold
• - Builds soil fertility rather than creating waste problems

The birds still have outdoor access, and they’re often provided with hay to support foraging behavior and supply additional nutrients like vitamin K₁.

This seasonal adaptation is not a failure of pasture-raised farming: it’s an example of responsible, humane management that works with nature instead of forcing animals into conditions that would harm them.

True regenerative farming isn’t rigid. It’s thoughtful, adaptive, and rooted in animal welfare, land stewardship, and long-term soil health.

Is 'Pasture-Raised' the same as 'regenerative'?

Regenerative agriculture is a farming approach designed to restore soil health, rebuild ecosystems, and improve land over time by working with natural biological systems rather than extracting from them.

Not all pasture-raised systems meet that definition.

While pasture access is an important step in the right direction, not all pasture-raised systems are regenerative.

In the large, stationary barn setups we discussed, chickens remain on the same ground day after day. Chickens are naturally hard on pasture. In static systems, they quickly eat through insects and vegetation, and when birds stay in one place, waste accumulates. This creates ideal conditions for parasites and disease, and the land has no opportunity to recover.

A core principle of regenerative agriculture is rest and recovery after animal impact. Just like muscle growth requires rest between workouts, pasture needs time to recover in order to grow back stronger. Without regular movement, land degrades instead of regenerates, and that means fewer plants, fewer insects, and poorer nutrition for the chickens.

This is where mobile pasture-raised systems are fundamentally different.

In mobile systems, chickens are rotated frequently to fresh pasture. Their manure and impact are evenly distributed across the land, and each area is given sufficient rest before birds return. Over time, this builds soil health, increases plant diversity, improves water retention, and restores pasture vitality year after year.

When managed correctly, mobile pasture-raised systems don’t just avoid damage, they can actively regenerate degraded landscapes across the country.

That distinction matters. Because while both systems may use the same label, only one is truly working with nature and rebuilding it, creating a healthier environment for future generations.

Wrapping it Up

All eggs contain nutrients.

But some eggs come with more baggage than others:

• - Glyphosate and pesticide residues
• - A high omega-6 PUFA load (same fats in seed oils)
• - Feed-derived allergens
• - Pharmaceutical interventions

Factory farms are not designed to produce the most nourishing eggs possible.

So… are pasture-raised eggs better?

Sometimes. But not always.

“Pasture-raised” can mean very different things depending on the farm. A small regenerative operation using mobile pasture systems is fundamentally different from a large industrial barn with limited outdoor access.

That’s why understanding pasture-raised eggs requires looking beyond marketing claims and asking better questions:

• - How often are hens rotated to fresh pasture?
• - Does the land remain living and productive, or degraded?
• - What are the hens actually being fed? 

Some hens truly live outdoors on rotating pasture, with grass, insects, sunlight, and space to roam.

Others technically have outdoor access, but only through small doors, for limited periods, or onto land that quickly becomes barren and no longer resembles pasture at all.

My advice?

Whenever possible, buy eggs from a local farmer you can talk to. Eggs are one of the easiest foods to start sourcing locally, and doing so helps support real farmers instead of large industrial corporations. You’ll often get higher-quality eggs at a similar price, without relying on confusing or misleading labels.

We put far too much trust in packaging an

d label claims, and that trust tends to benefit large food corporations more than consumers. Many people are paying premium prices believing they’re getting something fundamentally different, when in reality, the feeding system hasn’t changed much at all. Buying those products continues to support the very model many of us are trying to move away from.

That said, it’s not realistic for most people to source all of their food directly from farms. Convenience matters. Life is busy.

What does matter is finding a source you can truly trust. Labels and beautiful imagery aren’t inherently bad, but without transparency, they can be misleading.

If you don't have a local farmer, we've got you!

At Nourish Food Club, we hold our standards higher than typical pasture-raised eggs.

We partner directly with small regenerative farms that use mobile pasture-raised systems (not factories), open pasture access, humane animal care, and our custom corn- and soy-free feed, designed to be low in the same PUFAs found in seed oils.

Our eggs contain 73% less linoleic acid than Organic Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs.

Each egg comes from one of our vetted farm partners, and we regularly share behind-the-scenes videos of those farms on Instagram.

You can also watch this video to see how we’re building a low-PUFA, corn- and soy-free regenerative egg system from the ground up.

Yes, our eggs cost more than a grocery-store carton, and there’s a reason for that.

Our pricing includes:

• - Four dozen pasture-raised eggs lab-tested to be low in PUFA
• - Protective packaging designed to safely ship eggs (not a $0.10 carton)
• - FedEx shipping
• - Package Protection

And recently, thanks to the hard work of my team, we’ve improved our logistics and packaging systems, so we were able to lower the price of our egg box for subscribers, without sacrificing quality at all.

Because savings should go back to the people who support this system.

At the end of the day:

Labels give you claims.

Knowing your farmer gives you answers.

Know your farmer. Know your food.

Better eggs start with better farming.

The Nourish Food Club Difference

• - mobile pasture systems
• - regenerative land management
• - custom low-PUFA, corn- and soy-free feed
  
• - farm cooperative of small farms
• - smaller flock sizes
• - more labor
• - fewer shortcuts

>> Shop Now and Egg-sperience The Angel Acres Difference