Time Magazine Isn't Chicken about Debunking Organic Eggs

July 12th, 2010 11:23 AM

Perhaps the mainstream media counted their chickens before they hatched.

In a surprising admission, a July 8 Time magazine story revealed that organic eggs are no healthier than factory eggs. In the past, Time has championed organic foods and green lifestyles.

Still, the egg story included a survey of egg prices in a random city - Athens, Georgia - and predictably, the survey discovered factory eggs were only $1.69 a dozen whereas organic eggs ranged from $3.99 to $5.38 a dozen.

Time noted a new study that found the organic eggs are not healthier, despite the higher price tag.

 

"But it's worth it to pay more because you're getting a healthier product, right? Wrong.," Time said. "Most of the time, according to a just-released study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the eggs are indistinguishable. When there is a difference, it's often the factory eggs that are safer."

They also debunked another consumer health myth: that brown egg shells are healthier than white ones. The short answer: they're not:

"Color is determined entirely by the breed of chicken laying it, and the fact that brown eggs often cost a little more has nothing to do with quality," the magazine reported.

This story was somewhat of a coup for Time, which in the past has praised authors Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser for their food industry exposés. The liberal media often promote organic lifestyles and bash mass-produced food. On June 25, NBC's "Today" mentioned that there is virtually no difference between organic and factory eggs, but still promoted spluring on organic milk and grass-fed beef.


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