From Family Farms to Your Fridge
When people think of farm fresh eggs, they might picture a friendly farmer on a country road with hens pecking in the grass at her feet. It’s a scene that captures what we all want from the eggs we bring home: freshness, care, and a connection to where they came from.
While we might all prefer eggs straight from the farm, most of us live closer to a grocery store than a chicken coop. In the egg aisle, idyllic pasture scenes and the term "Farm Fresh" appear on a lot of egg cartons these days, but the reality of where your eggs come from may not be what you're picturing. Without additional certifications and standards of care, "Farm Fresh" labels don’t tell you the full story. [2] [3] [4]
Why You Don’t See the Term “Farm Fresh” on Our Egg Cartons
While Pete & Gerry’s partners with over 300 family farms to bring your eggs right from our farms to your local store, you won’t see the term “Farm Fresh” on any of our packaging. Why? Because those words “Farm Fresh” don’t have an official or legal definition. [2] [3] [4]
Instead, we deliver our promise to provide you with the best, highest-quality eggs through third-party certification and oversight, such as the Certified Humane® and USDA Organic programs. We back up our promises with these programs so you can be sure that you’re getting premium eggs from hens raised with care and a company that supports the farmers who raise them.
Just ask real Pete & Gerry’s farmer Tom Giovagnoli, “What you think you’re getting, you’re getting. You buy an organic, Certified Humane® egg from Pete and Gerry’s in the store, and you think the birds are outside frolicking in the grass. And that is what’s actually happening.” [6] You can read more about Tom and the New Hampshire egg farm he shares with his sons in his blog post: Happy Hens Equal a Happy Life
Room for Chickens to be Chickens: Certified Humane® Free Range and Pasture Raised
Like Farmer Tom says, with Pete & Gerry’s eggs, what you think you’re getting, you’re getting. While eggs labeled free-range or pasture-raised do mean that hens have outdoor access, without verification like Certified Humane®, there’s no guarantee of how much or how often. Certified Humane® is a program dedicated to the humane treatment of farm animals, with care verified through a rigorous certification process and on-site audits, ensuring those terms mean what they say. [2] [7]
As a result, Pete & Gerry’s hens have plenty of outdoor access with room to express their natural behaviors: stretching their wings, basking in the sun, foraging for snacks like bugs and grubs, and dust bathing to keep clean. Our free-range hens have at least 2 square feet per hen of daily outdoor access (weather permitting) [8] [12] and our pasture-raised hens enjoy an expansive 108 square feet each. [10] [11] When they do go indoors - for safety, bad weather and at night - all of our hens enjoy a life free from cages, with room to perch, stretch their wings, eat nutritious food, and rest comfortably. [12]
Certified Standards: Hen Feed, Care, and Our Organic Options
Along with the natural nutrition they get foraging for bugs and grubs outdoors, all of our hens receive carefully balanced supplemental feed from their farmers. At Pete & Gerry’s farms, PhD-level nutritionists create the right diets for our hens based on things like age, seasonal needs, and other factors. [13] Additionally, our hens are never treated with hormones. [14]
Organic eggs follow even more rigorous quality and environmental standards. USDA Certified Organic eggs like Pete & Gerry’s Organic Free Range Eggs and Pete & Gerry’s Organic Pasture Raised Eggs come from hens that eat only organic feed free from GMOs and synthetic pesticides. These hens are never given preventative antibiotics, and even the pastures they roam are managed without the use of synthetic pesticides. [15] [16]
While USDA Organic standards guarantee hens have some outdoor access, when coupled with our Certified Humane® standards, you can be sure that the hens enjoy regular, meaningful access to the outdoors. The benefits of the organic diet and outdoor access can be found in every egg, with rich yolks, complete protein, and concentrated amounts of vitamins and nutrients. [16]
Conclusion
While Pete & Gerry’s eggs come to you from family farms and are delivered fresh to your grocery store, you’ll never see the vague term “Farm Fresh” on our cartons. Instead, we back up our promises with clear standards, verifiable claims, and third-party certifications. Look for our USDA Organic and Certified Humane® labels to show what we stand for in providing humane care for our hens, sustainable practices for our farms and our environment, and transparency for you. That’s our promise in every egg.
So, the next time you have that vision of a friendly farmer holding out that fresh carton of eggs, and you aren’t close to a farm, reach for a carton of Pete & Gerry’s eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is the standard for grocery store eggs labeled “Farm Fresh”?
A: “Farm Fresh” is not a standardized or certified label for the packaging of eggs. [2] [3] [4] Instead, look for recognized labels such as Certified Humane® and USDA Organic that are backed with certifications and standards for animal care, feed and treatment. [7] [16]
Q: How can I buy the freshest eggs at the grocery store?
A: Check the pack date or choose the carton with the latest “sell by” or “use by” date. Look for clean, uncracked shells, and when possible, choose eggs from family farms or certified producers, as they’re often packed and shipped more frequently.
Q: How can I tell if my eggs were raised humanely?
A: Look for credible certifications like Certified Humane® Pasture-Raised or Certified Humane® Free Range which signal that hens have space, enrichment, and gentle handling. These labels ensure that the terms on your carton are backed by verifiable standards.
References
[1] Pete & Gerry’s. Our Story. https://www.peteandgerrys.com/pages/our-story
[2] Certified Humane®. Cage-Free vs. Free Range – and Other Egg Carton Labels – Explained. https://certifiedhumane.org/cage-free-vs-free-range/
[3] NPR. Farm Fresh? Natural? Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up To Be. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/23/370377902/farm-fresh-natural-eggs-not-always-what-they-re-cracked-up-to-be
[4] Food Republic. Farm Fresh Food Labels Usually Don’t Mean Anything. https://www.foodrepublic.com/1304764/farm-fresh-egg-labels-actually-dont-mean-anything/
[5] Pete & Gerry’s. Partnering with Farm Aid to Support Small-Scale Farming. https://www.peteandgerrys.com/blogs/field-notes/farm-aid-partnership
[6] Pete & Gerry’s. Happy Hens Equal a Happy Life for This Farmer. https://www.peteandgerrys.com/blogs/field-notes/happy-hens-equal-a-happy-life
[7] Certified Humane®. Certified Humane® Raised and Handled. https://certifiedhumane.org
[8] Pete & Gerry’s. Organic Free Range Eggs. https://www.peteandgerrys.com/products/organic-free-range-eggs
[9] Pete & Gerry’s. What Are Pasture-Raised Eggs? https://www.peteandgerrys.com/blogs/field-notes/pasture-raised-eggs
[10] Pete & Gerry’s. Pasture Raised Eggs. https://www.peteandgerrys.com/products/pasture-raised-eggs
[11] Pete & Gerry’s. Organic Pasture Raised Eggs. https://www.peteandgerrys.com/products/organic-pasture-raised-eggs
[12] Certified Humane®. Humane Farm Animal Care Animal Care Standards Edition 21: Egg Laying Hens. https://certifiedhumane.org/wp-content/uploads/Standard_LayingHens-2023.pdf
[13] Pete & Gerry’s. Good Feed Makes for Good Eggs. https://www.peteandgerrys.com/blogs/field-notes/good-feed-makes-good-eggs
[14] The Poultry Site. Chickens Do Not Receive Growth Hormones: So Why All the Confusion? https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/chickens-do-not-receive-growth-hormones-so-why-all-the-confusion
