Effective January 2, 2023 grocery store eggs must come from cage-free farms

Effective January 1st, 2023, eggs sold in grocery stores in Colorado must come through cage free farms — only sell cage free eggs. The law was passed in 2020, and it gave Colorado egg producers two years to switch. Most laying hens in Colorado were raised in conventional caged housing.

The avian flu recently killed 85 percent of poultry, so it contributes to a possible scarcity or high prices of eggs during the first part of 2023.

To clarify what it means: cage-free hens are able to walk, spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests, (move vertically and horizontally), thereby acting in their natural behaviors denied to hens confined in cages. However, most cage-free hens still do live in very large flocks that can consist of many thousands of hens. Note, this does not mean they can go outside.

Those states requiring cage-free housing: California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the labels on cartons. As far as the labels: Ideally the best egg is organic, pastured (or free-range), USDA “A” or “AA,” stamped with the Certified Humane or Animal Welfare Approved seal.

If you are looking for eggs that come from hens who are “humanely” raised, look for products labelled pasture raised and humane, though it’s not regulated. For a Certified Humane certification, it means that the animal treatment meets an 108-square-feet per bird criteria, which is the same standard adopted by Animal Welfare Approved (2018).

Will you notice any difference? Probably not in cage-free range. But in “free range” chickens you might. Many people notice that the yolks seem to be more orange. That is due to the fact that the hens can gain more carotenoids found in the grain, grass and plants they eat. Cage-free eggs and conventional eggs are the same for nutrition and safety. You can read the ingredients to see how the nutrition value (eg, vitamins) are different in each brand.

This information was gathered from multiple web sites of known reliable businesses and government agencies. 12/22