With the largest egg recall in U.S. history fueling a nationwide salmonella scare, natural food advocates are stepping up their criticism of industrial farms. So far, a half billion eggs from two Iowa producers, Wright County Eggs and Hillandale Farms, have been recalled, and roughly 2,000 people have reportedly been stricken with salmonella between May and July. Since the recall, demand for relatively expensive free-range eggs has spiked. Are they really safer? (Watch a farmer discuss free-range eggs)
No question — free-range eggs are safer: Ninety percent of the eggs produced in the U.S. come from hens in "battery cages," which are so small the birds can't spread their wings, says Leigh Goessl at Helium. It's obvious that such cramped and dirty conditions, aside from being cruel, speed the spread of contamination. Cage-free, organic, and free-range eggs may not necessarily come from "ideal conditions," either, but "anything is probably better" than the factory-farm alternative.
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