Confused about which eggs to buy? Use this guide to find the best eggs.

Eggs marked as:

Free Range

These eggs come from hens who are free to roam outside. The hens can stretch, flap their wings and graze throughout the day. They have nests to lay their eggs and at night sleep in a shed. Free range eggs are free of antibiotics.

RATING: Excellent! - the best eggs to buy.

Barn laid, Liberty or RSPCA

These eggs are from hens kept inside a closed shed or 'barn'. The hens are not caged and they can perch and nest. The floor is covered with sawdust or straw. On the downside the hens are quite crowded and the ends of their beaks are cut off.

RATING: Average - better than cage eggs but not as good as free range.

Cage

Egg cartons labelled as 'cage eggs' or just 'eggs' come from battery caged hens. These hens are kept in small wire cages with up to five birds. Each bird has less floor space than an A4 piece of paper. They cannot spread their wings and the ends of their beaks are cut off. They live in sheds with thousands of other caged hens. The sheds contain large amounts of animal waste and are often poorly ventilated. To control disease the hens are fed antibiotics.

RATING: Terrible - these come from Battery Caged hens. Never buy these eggs.

NOTE: Organic eggs should be free range but can be cage eggs or barn laid. Vegetarian, Grain Fed or Omega-3 eggs are generally cage eggs but may be barn laid. They are rarely free range. Please, always check the label and only buy if free range.

THINK, BUY FREE RANGE