Produced by hens that spend their days outdoors, “pastured eggs” are a tiny part of the billions of eggs laid each year yet “are one of the fastest-growing category of eggs in America today,” says the New York Times. They allay consumer concerns about treatment of food animals, says the newspaper, which quotes one producer with pastured-egg operations in 41 states as saying the eggs have gone from a niche product in natural food stores “to being a thriving business in places like Kroger.”
There is no standard definition, however, of what a pastured egg is, says the Times. “Hens producing pastured eggs may indeed live in lush pastures – or they may merely have access to a patch of dirt outside their barn.”