The Truth About 'Free-Range' Eggs - Jonathan Safran Foer

[Sibrand1189]

Idiots, when people go on about the health benefits of meat they seem to forget about pancreatic cancers, colon and bowel cancers and the level of protein which their body can't process from it in comparison to the level they can process from vegetable and alternative proteins. Also that you can acquire more nutrition from the producers in a food chain to the consumers.

[Bubsy1979]

Found Wally!!

[Pixiebabylove]

Me and my family have raised chickens for years, they used to have an indoor pen and outdoor pen and come the cold times of year wud stop laying, now my dad has decided to let them out of their pens and allow them to roam free around our garden which is huge, and our chickens are 6-7 years old and are healthy and happy and the eggs they produce are devine, we get so many ppl in our village asking for their eggs and i for one will never eat eggs that are brought from the supermarket

[rhcp4565]

Eat healthy, stay fit, die anyway.

[TardsOfParadise]

@rhcp4565 Die as young as possible and as late as possible.

[smurfieboo]

Who wants to eat what a chicken has spat out off its vagina anyway

[64allybaby]

@smurfieboo it doesnt hav a vagina birds have cloacas

[smurfieboo]

@64allybaby it's still the arse end of the chicken

[Falcon1red]

My grandmother died of eating a pound of cured bacon,6 eggs fried in bacon fat,toast drenced in real butter w/sugared jelly at the young age of 98.I bet if she had not eaten all of that fatty bacon she could have lived another hundered years.On the other side of life her sister who did not eat meat died from cancer,her diet was lots of greens and fruits hmmm?Guess we all are going to die from something.

[Tehandpickid]

i have a dream that one day say everyone will be vege =)

[Seymroth]

@Tehandpickid Stop talking about vegetarianism as a "self-evident good". It is not.

[IRaceBarrels]

@Tehandpickid I have a dream that one day everyone will switch to organic truley free range local meat but that's never going to happen either.

[GoodRedBlackRatio]

@IRaceBarrels In my city, people were trying to make it legal to raise their own chickens in their back yards for food and eggs - unfortunately this didn't pass, but someday maybe people will be more involved with their meat production, and so will not only have healthier, local meats but also have more respect for the animals they eat.

[64allybaby]

@Tehandpickid bt sum ppl like eating meat and fish plus eggs and chicken r the best quality and mre easily digestable protein and gud for old people with kidney problms and digestive problems to keep up thr protein intake while still eating smaller amounts so mass vegenism wont happn

[PrimalToad1]

@64allybaby Mass veganism won't happen because human beings are omnivores. The healthiest way to eat is to eat a combination of plants and animals. Quality matters.

I liked what Jonathan had to say in this video but I am not a vegan.

[CoconutterlyCrumble]

@PrimalToad1 That's bullshit.

The human body has great difficulty in processing a lot of the fats found in meat, as we are not actually designed for it. Meat became a part of our diet during ice ages (when there literally were not plants and therefore no alternative), and then during the middle ages having meat on your table was seen as a symbol of wealth. It's a social thing, not a biological one.

[TardsOfParadise]

@64allybaby Go home, you aren't trying to help anyone or anything. Amino acids are found in all plants, and are best found in fruits and vegetables. Protein, on the other hand, must be broken down into amino acids first. Lets say you wanted to build a house. You would order materials (amino acids), not a house (proteins). Once it hits you that you have been lied to all your life and big business isn't out to keep us healthy, you will see life in a new light.

[TardsOfParadise]

@Tehandpickid Coming soon!

[MsDude81]

For Australians You can trust RSPCA approved Animal products. Look for the paw of approval.

[marcluc1988]

@MsDude81 For People in the UK, you can trust products with The Vegan Society logo on.

[captaintactical]

what about people in that have poor soil not good for growing for them without livestock they next to no food i mean well i guess we can for get about the UN and there rice you trying eating rice plan everday it would be ok for a while even good but after a while you would want some chicken ,pork or fish some might even want to eat each other so email that that kosher enough

[sosaturdido]

@Ephesians6now so what, but at least you have not been part of a herd.

[adamc404]

i agree with almost everything he says, except i enjoy eating with my hands. lol

[Pilaf1984]

@Ephesians6now Even if the world never becomes vegetarian, if I can convince even one person to reduce their consumption of chickens, that will spare many thousands of lives from an existence of suffering and cruelty, and that is good enough for me.

[CDLver]

Brilliantly stated, Jonathan!

[IampureSol]

What about usda certified organic free ranged egg farms? Like Organic valley farms?

[underkatmusic]

@IampureSol they're organic and not fed antibiotics but the term "free range" means that a chicken has access to the outside for 15 minutes out of everyday.

[IampureSol]

@underkatmusic Thank you. That is messed up : ( poor things. I would rather have my own chicken but it would be more of my pet. I get easily attached. I haven't eaten eggs in for ever so they seem kinda gross to me now.

[TardsOfParadise]

@IampureSol So now you can get your 100% certified, organic, free-range, bio-dynamic heart disease and osteoperosis and your cruelty will be 100% certified. Besides, "free-range and grass-fed" type operations use up to 17x more land than feedlot operations!

[iammagnetic]

it's really sad to see that there is probably no stop to the way we treat animals. It is inhumane and wrong, because it's deceptive. Most people are unaware of what they're eating and how what they're eating got there. It's just not right for people to take advantage of immigrants, aliens, animals, and americans. Something is definitely wrong with this whole "factory farming" thing.

[TardsOfParadise]

@iammagnetic Right you are! Very good comment, you hit the nail on the head. If the commercials sported factory farm footage, or even just slaughter footage, instead of deep-fried greased up chicken parts we would see a big change in the way we think.

People don't even understand what they are doing to themselves, the animals, or the environment. It is complete unconscious living.

[0711rk]

free range eggs are a lot better than eggs from caged hens!!

[TardsOfParadise]

@0711rk Is free range cancer better than caged-hen cancer?

[willb128]

lol, he thinks religion is good.

[scottyinmesquite]

Yes, animals resist if you try to kill them. That is natural instinct, the same as in humans. Killing animals for food is natural too, the circle of life, so to speak. Being at the top of the food chain doesn't mean we have to be vegetarian. Humane treatment of animals should be our main responsiblility while they are being raised for food.

[TardsOfParadise]

@scottyinmesquite Check out human physiology some time, we are 100% herbivorous. Also check out human instincts. Take your children to a slaughter house and tell them that its "natural" to kill and eat animals. Feed your children the fresh meat right from the cow and tell them that its "natural". Pff, nuff said.

This is why slaughter houses don't have windows or guided tours. This is why we take our children to petting zoos instead, so they can love animals, not kill them.

[KasparHauser4]

Religious people should take this up? Who do you think is behind it? Ever hear of ENRON? All those guys were deeply religious. same with the top echelons of the meat industry. You think the executive boards of the top meat producers are filled with heretics? Think again bud

[mrwhite692000]

Just so that anyone reading this doesn't live in the United States, us civilised folk in Europe actually do have a legal definition of "free range eggs".

Yes Jonathan, you live on a planet with OTHER COUNTRIES. Shocker.

[dukehey2]

I think I'm in love.

[hoodmilk]

When food was few and far between, and competition was high. The best way to survive was to eat foods that would sustain us for longer instead of eating food that was nutritious.

So we went for the meat instead of the carrot. In today's world the amount of meat we consume is down right deadly.

Yet the vegetarians are doing just fine.

[hyena1972]

I buy free range eggs and free range chicken. I see a difference in the meat texture and colour of the eggs and taste the difference. Maybe, in Canada, free-range is better defined than where Mr. Foer is speaking?

[mavaddat]

Yes, hyena. I am a vegetarian and borderline vegan, but it's true that Canada has more defined animal ("livestock") welfare laws. The United States has NONE.

[Asiablue]

His makes some good points and offers verifyable facts I could check. His main complaint seems to be against marketing and advertising. "They are lies." Well, duh! All advertising is a lie and some would say, technically pornography, as it makes us want what we see. The last bit is confusing and contradictory. A synagogue is "the perfect place to talk about it because there are religious values behind it." Then he says "Religion is not neccessary," to a rooom full of rabbis and the faithful.

[TheSnotrag2009]

makes me think of the oil they use to fry fries and fast food like mackie D's , burger king, chik fila etc.

the oil in their fryers are lethal to yr health. they block up yr arteries. yet they ahve advert campians saying how delicious and nutrious it is

[liber8me]

lmao i haven't heard too many macdonalds advertising campaigns saying the oil and fat in their fries are good for you.

[artformeandyou]

So how do we buy free range eggs?

[WillSKB88]

Fuck off hippy

Joke joke.

[codexbiohazard]

I can see were he Is coming from with the bad business practices. On the other hand. Why would a meat plant give a crap about a animal that Is raised to be killed ....the animal is grown to die. I am not going to lie, crap like this gets on my nerves, I can under stand how people get worked up about Domestic pet, Zoo Animal Abuse. You know A world like this, Animals die every day and live lives that are Indifferent and savage. We need to treat our own race better.

[tommyk77]

We have the luxury of choice between meat and no meat. It's unethical to eat animals really. I used to agree with your position, until I discovered utilitarianism and the ethical philosophy of people like Peter Singer.

It's annoying, because meat is delicious, but it is unethical

[StephenKuma]

You discovered Peter Singer? A guy who believed there isn't anything wrong, basically, with f*cking an animal?

But oh yeah UNethical to eat them.

[tommyk77]

There isn't anything wrong with it. Can you name something wrong with it? I think it's disgusting, but that's just 'the yuck factor'. It doesn't fly as an argument

[naliuj]

well animals are unable to give legal consent. I know legal consent can be subjective to the society in which its viewed. In ours we have decided that animals and children cannot.

[tommyk77]

Yes, I agree. I don't wholly agree with Peter on this subject. I feel the issue is blown out of proportion by the yuck factor, but another objection I would have is that one will never get a majority consensus on relations with animals, so this huge diversity in opinion could damage the foundations of the social contract

[StephenKuma]

Second what naliuj said on the subject.

What's intrinsically wrong with killing an animal then? You end a life - so what? Animals have been killing other animals for millions of years. By being at 'the top' some of us get arrogant and feel we should save everything. When you start preaching to the rest of the animal kingdom to switch to vegetarian diets, I'll consider this argument a bit more

Sure, it's not nice that an animal dies so that we can feed, but that's just 'the sympathy factor'

[tommyk77]

We're in the rare position in which we can choose to not eat meat. If an animal wants to live, we don't have the right to take its life for our own pleasure. Other animals either cannot live without meat or (in the case of them all) cannot comprehend ethics.

Our incredibly high degree of intelligence may lead us to become arrogant on the other side of the dialectic. Just because you're conscious, does that give you a license to kill? I don't think so

[StephenKuma]

Rights are a man-made concept and differ from country to country.

Again, how can we tell that animals want to live. And do we just ignore the deaths those animals who 'wanted' to live, simply because r?? Seems slightly hypocritical. We presume they have no understanding of ethics, but we can't know for sure.

Again, being in this rare position doesn't necessarily mean it should eventuate in a change in our behaviour.

[tommyk77]

If you try to kill an animal, it will resist. It's quite simple to see that death is not peasant for any animal.

Rights are man made, but what is your point? I think that given the fact that we have the choice to not eat meat and that we can empathise, it is unethical to eat animals.

"And do we just ignore the deaths those animals who 'wanted' to live, simply because r??"

I don't know what you meant by this

[StephenKuma]

(Sorry-fell asleep while typing)

My point about rights being man made was that you were saying "we don't have the right..." - says who? You, a group of people?

[tommyk77]

We don't have the moral right, unless you can provide stronger reasoning

[StephenKuma]

As for my unfinished line...we classify animals as herbivores, omnivores etc. Howcome it doesn't apply to us?

It seems slightly hypocritical to fight for the animals' "right to life" from human murder, but not from other animals.That's all I'm saying. If we really cared, that's what we'd be doing...but we limit that rule to ourselves, as it feeds our pride.

[tommyk77]

We are classified. We're omnivores.

"It seems slightly hypocritical to fight for the animals' "right to life" from human murder, but not from other animals"

They don't have the capacity to generate an ethical position. We do

[tommyk77]

You just managed to say something without saying anything. We can reason to construct solid ethical positions. We know animals want to live by the way they react to us trying to kill them. It's quite simple.

[hymnofashes]

@tommyk77 Animals voluntarily suffer if it's adaptive to them. By the standard of survival and reproduction, farmed animals are the most successful on the planet.

[tommyk77]

I think that's a red herring. Their success is man made, which turn the tables back on us.

Furthermore, I don't think animals have the capacity to 'volunteer' themselves to suffer. It's anthropomorphic on our part to assume that.

[someguyneedsanewname]

@StephenKuma I think Mr. Foer is trying to bring attention to "Factory Farming" not necessarily vegetarianism. Factory farming is butchering and eating mass produced, purpose bred livestock. I think we should apply rules to ourselves to limit the damage of our abundant power over other animals and nature; if for no other reason then to protect us from the unintended consequences of our actions.

[denbowan]

1* . No evidence given for 'free range' definition.

[oclandestin]

This video makes very good points about the strength of the pro-meat lobby, and negative social eating trends... but I think his "truth" about the definition of "free-range" eggs, only really applies to the US.

UK and EU "free-range" standards seem to be alot more clearly defined. In the UK there's a distinction between "barn" and "free-range". Free-range hens in the UK have to have access to outside space with vegetation. EU standards state that a free-range hen must have a min 4 sq m.

[RadarKat73080]

Who says? Besides, it's easier to catch lentiles then a chicken!

[VolcanicPenguin]

Great vid tho! :)

[VolcanicPenguin]

I wonder if he's just talking about the US now. I'm in Sweden myself.

[Miredninja]

Free range is where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner.

[stanbearpig]

this is the bullshit consumers have to deal with one side lies and deceives to make money and sell their product and then the other side comes to the rescue and tells us how bad the first salesman is only its not enough to just tell us they have to twist the words or stats or whatever to make it bigger or worse but thats also lieing so who to believe sucks to not be able to trust anyone researching things for our self's is the only conclusion

[tommyk77]

I never like it when someone claims another is lying and that there is no definition of 'free-range'. Why don't all companies say their stuff is 'free-range' then?

I wish more people would cite where they get their information from, otherwise why should we believe them?

I'm a vegetarian myself, and I would like to be a vegan, but I refuse to accept this as fact until I see the source of the evidence

[kevintype]

@tommyk77 - You ask why the 'free-range' claim isn't made for all eggs, when there is no legal definition of the term. To anyone who has studied basic economics or business marketing, the answer is obvious.

Labeling the same eggs in different ways allows producers to saturate more segments of the consumer market.

They sell many eggs at one price point to consumers who care only about price, and can sell extra eggs at a higher price to consumers seeking 'free-range' or 'cruelty-free' products.

[tommyk77]

Ah okay. I haven't studied marketing or economics, so I missed that one. Still, seems like he's making some big claims that he is not backing with evidence

[TardsOfParadise]

@tommyk77 Heyo Tommy, I like your comments here and I think you are on the right track! But I think eating eggs and milk is just as weird, if not weirder, than eating an animals flesh. I am a vegan now because of this profound insight on what I was eating. Chicken periods and cow pus, my friend. Chicken periods and cow pus.

[anikinippon]

*yawn* So, whats for dinner? Chicken?

[hartmut1164]

Regarding "Free Range": There is no regulation regarding this term in the USA, but for the European Community: Die 1991R1264 defines minimum standards for "free range" eggs within the EU. They are subject to some critic as to weak, but at least they exist.

[dar482]

Eating at cars instead of tables. Dispense with silverware.

The traditional "eat at a table and talk about your day" is just an option. It is a choice of a family and no one has to abide by such a societal norm. Why is he such a pompous pee brain that he has the right to tell us what's "good"?

[kevintype]

@dar482 - You might have a point, if the food now being eaten in cars had solid nutritional benefits equal to the meals that families used to prepare for their tables and eat with silverware. Sadly, this is far from true.

The low-quality food-like substances increasingly eaten in cars are contributing to a steep rise in rates of obesity and related diseases.

This trend has been good for the profits of fast food outlets, but not for human health or happiness.

[dar482]

Of course they are for profits. So are healthy foods. Companies do not sell food for an altruistic reason, they sell it for profits.

While I agree poor foods do lead to poor human health, why do you have to include "happiness?" You make it seem like people are being force fed. People eat these out of laziness, convenience, taste, etc. Who cares? Why are you judging people's decisions?

Maybe people can be educated and they can make their own decisions, but don't think you are smarter or better.

[kevintype]

@dar482 - Do you accept any limits on what companies can do for profit?

Should it be legal to add opiates such as heroin to food? Should it be legal to sell food that has rotted and putrefied beyond all recognition, but whose decayed condition has been concealed with new chemical flavoring agents?

Where would you draw the line? Or would you draw any line at all?

Incidentally, neither I nor the speaker in the video ever claimed to be smarter or better than anyone else.

[dar482]

Yes, obviously companies are doing those ridiculous things...

Are you saying that these foods are directly poisonous? I really do not think that our food situation is that poor. Maybe some foods are not nutritious or healthy if eaten in excess. Nothing excess in life is a good thing.

I also think that the speaker's view is definitely pontificating. There is no "wrong" is eating meat or McDonald's. Just understand what you are doing.

[kevintype]

@dar482 - I was not making any claims about any specific foods. I was asking you hypothetical questions about whether you believe there should be any limits on the behavior of corporations.

I use the past tense because, at this point, I am no longer inclined to ask you any questions on any topic. Have a nice life.

[dar482]

Yes, great debate tactic. Ask someone ridiculous questions like selling rotted food and putting opiates in food because that's obviously what companies are doing now. Then when he refuses to even think about such silly questions, you repeat them.

Yes limits should exist. What are you getting?

[kevintype]

@dar482 - I was not debating you, nor am I debating you now, nor will I ever be debating you in the future. Thus it is inaccurate to claim I repeated any questions to you. I am no longer asking you any questions at all.

At one point I was interested in better understanding your point of view, and learning why you had so utterly failed to understand anything the speaker in this video said. Now I am no longer interested in any of your ideas.

I do, however, sincerely wish you good luck in life.

[glennd7962]

So why doesn't he or the Humane society come up with a "True Free Range" certification process that they only grant to companies who comply with their standards? This free market approach is available to them at any time, why haven't they done it? Or do they want the Feds to 'do something'? Why can't the Foodies and Greenies look to the free market more often?

[glennd7962]

The Smithfield case was settled in 1997 - and the 7000 violations were based on the number of days they exceeded Clean Water Act regulations for the same infraction. His use of language is just as deceiving as the 'free range' marketers, apparently.

[imnotanrtard1]

When you go to the EPA website and search for Smithfield, the date coming back is 1999 when the appeals court upheld the ruling against Smithfield foods.

[glennd7962]

Your point, dingus?

[imnotanrtard1]

The point is your spouting out a bunch of Fucking BS.

[LeGioNoFZioN]

never liked eggs in the first place, unless they are raw.

[RadarKat73080]

You a "wreckin' machine"?

[LeGioNoFZioN]

no not at all, I never liked eggs growing up at all until -- sometime in high school - a friend dared me to eat 4 or 5 eggs raw, which I did, and I didn't mind them. still don't like em cooked though

[TardsOfParadise]

@LeGioNoFZioN Raw eggs are even stranger than cooked eggs, haha. That's like eating your mothers unborn fetus.

[LeGioNoFZioN]

@TardsOfParadise don't see the connection between a chicken and my mother ... its more like eating the fetus of a tasty animal you were going to eat anyways --- eat the whole family if you will

[spikesmth]

Meat... such delicious murder :-)

In order to support the demand for it, we gotta pack 'em in and make it as efficient as possible.

[leungchaan]

Yeah, but then, the meat-industry shouldn't lie about it. They should openly admit, what methods they use. Like that, a lot of people would become instant vegetarians or even vegans. Don't get me wrong, I eat meat myself, but I can't stand self declared "carnivores" who get sick, when they see, how their favourite food is actually produced. Clear declarations on how it was produced should be provided not just for meat, but for all food products.

[spikesmth]

Yeah, I'm a monster i guess... I saw Earthlings and it didn't even phase me.

[leungchaan]

Not at all. You saw it, you can handle it with your conscience, perfect. But it would be worth a try, if you could actually deal with a visit to a real slaughterhouse.

I only eat meat from animals like fish, chicken, rabbits etc. I have killed fish myself and I watched chickens and rabbits being killed in real life and I think, I could kill them myself. I also have watched calves, cattle and pigs being killed, but I wouldn't have the heart to kill them myself, so I don't eat them.

[hoodmilk]

@boogiebuddy01

Then how do you explain the millions of healthy vegetarians, and vegans around the world?

[billybobby800]

the healthiest diet is a combination of meat and vegatbles......and besides plants are living things as well your killing something......we are omnivours deal with it!!!!

[adeadlysniper]

@billybobby800

Not really. A well-balanced vegetarian diet can be extremely healthy, mostly since they lower calories, reduce the risk of osteoperosis and heart disease, as well as cancers associated with red meat.

Saying one shouldn't eat a healthier vegetarian diet because we are "omnivorous" is just plain absurd, I don't think i should go into it.

[adeadlysniper]

@billybobby800

I do agree with you however that the "moral superiority" felt by vegetarians is flawed. Killing is the same whether or not a nervous system is involved. I don't feel the value of life is to be determined by the number of neurons in the organism.

[freesk8]

Actually, I DO think that the number of neurons is important.

Killing a chimp is different from killing a chicken or a gnat or a carrot.

You may kill a chicken (as long as you own it or have permission of the owner to do so) as long as you do not cause it unnecessary pain when doing so. But chimps should only be killed during euthanasia, when the chimp is dying of a painful malady. But there should be no penalty for torturing a carrot.

And a chimp has higher value than a gnat.

[hoodmilk]

@billybobby800 @billybobby800. When did I ever say I was vegetarian, or that I had a problem with eating meat?

boogiebuddy01 said

we "need meat

what are the alternatives" I'm saying there are millions of people that have proven by their way of life that there is an alternative.

Most vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters. So what does that tell you? The desire for high fat, salty, sugary foods is the remnants of the needs of our ancestors.

[Yonks14]

@hoodmilk they take supplements and pills with the vitamins and minerals that humans require to live a healthy life. thats how.

[murcuryvapor]

@hoodmilk How do some vegans die of cancer, then?

[hoodmilk]

@murcuryvapor You're kidding right?

[TardsOfParadise]

@murcuryvapor Living on processed foods and vegetable oils, microwaving your food, etc, will give anyone cancer.

[RadarKat73080]

I used to raise chickens on my family's farm. They were free-range, I guess. They didn't live in cages. They lived in a coop, their yard was fenced in but they could roam in the yard.

[leungchaan]

That's cool. Would be great, if more people were that honest.

[RadarKat73080]

That was fun, but it was expensive. I fell in love with the idea after my great-grandmother told me about her days as a chicken farmer.

[naliuj]

You say it was expensive, do you mean the upkeep of the chickens? Did the cost of keeping chickens exceed the cost of buying eggs?

[RadarKat73080]

Yes. When your chickens don't lay everyday and you still have to feed them laying mash, it's not really worth it.

[freq32]

Cool. Just saaw Peta's vid on Male chicks and how eggeries KILL of millions of them by GRINDING THEM UP ALIVE!!!! Some of which get half killed and fall to the floor writhing in pain for hours. SICK. EGGS ARE OUT FOR ME. NO MEAT, NO EGGS.

[TardsOfParadise]

@freq32 Milk and cheese will be next! Strange things to eat my friend. You might as well incorporate some maggots and grubs for breakfast while you are at it.

[setneg]

WIN. wake up legion

[LeGioNoFZioN]

that is your opinion, fair enough, I disagree. see my comments to leungchaan

[steam0001]

Poor imagination this guy has. How about abortion half wit!

[LeGioNoFZioN]

fail

[leungchaan]

How does this fail? Do you think, he's lying?

[LeGioNoFZioN]

no just boring, a waste of my time, nothing new or informative.

[leungchaan]

Maybe not informative or new to you (to me neither), but this doesn't make it a failure; that would be rather egocentric thinking. There are a lot of people, who don't know these things and need to be informed about it, don't you think? So in this regard: Win (although not for you personally...)

[LeGioNoFZioN]

well I wasn't watching this video for anyone else's enlightenment, only my own, thus my judgement is -- fail, since I can't speak to its effectiveness for others, as I do not have access to their thoughts, I only have my POV from which to judge and comment, and I just did.

[naliuj]

fail

[LeGioNoFZioN]

merci