LAKEWOOD, Colo., Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural
Grocers has again raised the bar in the retail food industry by
moving from cage-free to free-range eggs and rolling out a new
ranking system that helps customers make educated decisions when
buying eggs in the store. The new standard requires egg-laying hens
to have the indoor and outdoor space they need to express
natural behaviors and thrive. And while free-range eggs offer a
step up in quality, Natural Grocers is not increasing its egg
prices.
For a full overview of the new Natural Grocers egg standard,
visit
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/products/departments/dairy/natural-grocers-laying-hen-standard/
"When our parents launched this company in 1955, their goal was
to educate people about what's really good for you, the animals,
the planet and the economy," said Heather
Isely, Natural Grocers' Executive Vice President. "Our new
free-range egg standard gives customers access to the highest
quality products possible. We didn't do this because it's trendy or
because it's a hot product; we made this change because we truly
believe in giving our customers the very best."
Why Natural Grocers is raising the standard and setting the
industry bar higher
For more than 60 years, Natural Grocers has been the trailblazer
in the good4u Revolution, championing the fight to provide
consumers with food that meets the highest quality standards and is
Always AffordableSM.
With the launch of its innovative new egg standard, all of the
eggs Natural Grocers sells will be free-range or better. This means
the eggs are not only cage-free, but they come from hens that are
given the space -- both indoors and outdoors -- to act
naturally and flourish. Chickens should spend time outdoors, doing
what chickens do, scratching, foraging, and dust bathing. The new
egg standard ensures that they get the opportunity and space to do
so.
Studies have shown that free-range eggs have a lower occurrence
of salmonella and higher overall nutrient content. By choosing
free-range, Natural Grocers is supporting healthier hens and a more
nutritious product for the consumer -- all at the same price as
cage-free eggs.
Ms. Isely continued, "We are glad that the other guys will be
catching up to our old standard (cage-free) in the next decade or
so, because we sincerely believe that the hens that produce our
eggs deserve better than to be crammed into battery cages without
enough room to turn around or extend their wings."
According to the Humane Society of the
United States, "Caged-laying hens are among the most
intensively confined animals in agribusiness." Additionally, the
Humane Society points out, "Caged hens suffer from the denial of
many natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and dust bathing,
all important for hen welfare."
Will cage-free eggs be all that they are cracked up to
be?
For the welfare of the nation's egg-producing hens, we at
Natural Grocers applaud those who are pledging to go cage-free,
even if it is going to take them nearly 10 years to get there.
However, we are concerned about what this will really mean for hen
welfare and egg quality. Many of those "cage-free" eggs could come
from hens that are still packed into crowded barns with no outdoor
access. Converting current battery-cage production methods into
cage-free operations without taking into account flock size or
genetics may result in higher death rates and other problems, such
as reduced barn air quality. These new cage-free facilities could
turn into little more than floor-to-ceiling enclosures that may
allow hens some freedom of movement, but cram hundreds of thousands
of hens into a single barn. This is likely not what customers
really have in mind when they reach for a carton of cage-free
eggs.
The USDA currently has no formal definition of "cage-free," so
when you see that terminology written on an egg carton, all it
means is that the chickens were not in a cage. At Natural Grocers,
we're always raising standards, so it was important to us to define
a clear standard and ranking system that we believe will help our
customers understand what they are buying and also ensure that the
eggs we sell in the store fit the guidelines we believe provide the
best life for the chickens and highest nutrient value for our
customers.
Here is a brief overview of Natural Grocers' new free-range
standard and ranking system.
- Bronze: Chickens have space to move and be chickens –
both indoors and out. Of course, no antibiotics, hormones, or
growth promoters are allowed.
- Despite being the minimum standard to be carried in Natural
Grocers stores, Bronze still represents one of the highest quality
products that can be bought at any grocery store, including health
food stores.
- Silver: Everything in Bronze, plus more space for
chickens to move and do what chickens do, plus hens are fed a
non-GMO feed.
- Gold: These hens spend their days out on organically
certified pasture and are fed organic feed. Everything in Bronze
and Silver is included under the Gold ranking.
What's really exciting about the new standard is that Natural
Grocers will make this quality leap without increasing
prices.
In addition to high quality free-range eggs, Natural Grocers is
the only major grocery chain that sells 100% pasture-based dairy,
100% naturally raised meats and 100% organic produce at each
location.
*Research sources available upon request.
About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC;
NaturalGrocers.com) is a rapidly expanding specialty retailer of
organic and natural groceries, body care and dietary supplements.
The company offers a flexible, neighborhood-store format, Always
Affordable prices and free, science-based nutrition education
programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition
choices. Founded in Colorado in
1955, Natural Grocers has more than 3,000 employees and operates
more than 126 stores in 19 states.
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SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.