I used to buy free range eggs whenever I could in the states. But, sadly, I had to give that up when I came to Thailand. They just were not available in normal grocery stores, only in specialty stores, and then the supply was sporadic. But now it looks like Top's Market is going to start stocking them. If they taste good and they continue to appear on the shelves, I will continue to buy them, in spite of the added cost.
I buy them for a variety of reasons. I don't fall in with the deluded people who believe that anything with an organic label is necessarily twice as healthy, have three times as much vitamins, and are steeped in natural goodliness. But I do believe that pesticides are bad for you, hormones we absorb in our foods play havoc with our own systems, that adding antibiotics to animal feed is destroying the efficacy of antibiotics and breeding "super resistant" bugs, and that free-range is a more humane way of producing eggs than battery chickens.
Not that there weren't free-range organic chickens in Thailand before this. Thais raised chickens for thousands of years without resorting to fertilized and pesticided chicken feed, added hormones or antibiotics. And of course, in the countryside many people still raise their chickens that way. But during the Green Revolution of the 1970's Thailand, like most other countries bought into industrial farming practices. So if you shop at the grocery stores in the city you haven't had much choice about what kind of eggs you bought.
Even though the factory egg isn't going to go away, it is nice to be able to have the choice. I hope the organic eggs stay around.
That is exciting. There have been studies showing that free range eggs have more of the good cholesterol than their mass produced counterparts. Also, you can see the difference in the richness of the yoke. I'm very glad for you because I believe in this instance the free range organic make a big difference in your health choices.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad too. I never have liked buying eggs from battery laying chickens, it is just to inhumane, but I haven't had a choice before.
ReplyDeleteFrom coup to coop.....
ReplyDeleteVery clever Fin!
ReplyDeleteI meant to ask, why is the lable in English?
A good point Fin! This is a very varied blog!
ReplyDeleteBethany, they are targeting two types of consumers, expats, and middle class to upper class Thais. Having the label in English adds a little "snob appeal." Working class Thais would not spend double for organic eggs, and more affluent (and better educated) Thais are very proud of their English ability.
ReplyDeleteOk, thanks for the explanation. That makes sense.
ReplyDeleteWhen we still lived in Texas, one of Bethany's friend's father started a small flock of chickens so they could produce their own eggs. The mother was horrified to find that the home raised eggs had such disgustingly yellow yolks and refused to use then. She continued to buy eggs at the grocery store! Mom
ReplyDelete