How To Read Egg Labels

Unless you have a chicken coop in your own backyard, one time or another you've probably spent time staring at the vast display of eggs at the supermarket, wondering what to buy. If you've been confused and ended up leaving with the cheapest carton, you're not alone.

Those egg labels are complicated to understand, to say the least, and many cartons carry so many different labels that it's hard to know how they relate at all. But there is a big difference between the conventional eggs that sell for $1.69 and the certified organic eggs that sell for $4.99 -- it's a lot to do with how the chickens are handled (abused vs. humanely treated). You may not want to pay up for the organic eggs, but once you realize what goes into producing those eggs, you will.

We're helping you decode all those labels so you can get to the bottom of what each one means -- we've made it easy for you by pointing out the recommended ones. See the slideshow below for the label definitions.

Main photo from akeg, Flickr.

Sources: Humane Society, Everyday Green, Green Matters, Egg Industry.