A nutritionist has urged shoppers to check one detail before buying eggs: the number stamp on the egg itself, not the packaging.
Stop Trusting the Carton
Madinah Yate advises consumers to ignore terms like 'organic', 'farm fresh', and 'happy hens' on egg cartons, calling them mostly marketing. Instead, she says to look at the number stamped on each egg.
In a TikTok video, she explained: 'Go straight to the number stamp, which is on each egg itself. In the UK, the numbers tell you everything from nought to three. Nought is what you want as it's the best quality and means the egg is organic, pasture-raised, and the chicken had access to proper outdoor space and a natural diet.'
What the Numbers Mean
According to Madinah:
- 0 = Organic and free-range (best quality)
- 1 = Free-range (decent but not on the same level)
- 2 = Barn-raised (hens kept indoors)
- 3 = Caged (lowest welfare)
She added that higher-welfare eggs often have richer yolks, better fatty acid profiles, and higher vitamin A, D, and E content. 'If you are choosing better for the chickens, you are choosing better for your body,' she summarised.
Official Backing
The British Hen Welfare Trust confirms that since 2004, an EU regulation has made it mandatory for commercially produced eggs to be stamped with a number indicating the farming method, allowing consumers to distinguish between organic (0), free-range (1), barn (2), and cage (3).
Viewer Reactions
The advice surprised many viewers. One commented: 'Thanks for telling me, I feel silly because I’ve been purchasing the same brand for several years because the quality seemed good for the price but I’m just finding out they’re category 3.' Another said: 'I learnt something today. Thank you very much for this brief but informative video.' A third added: 'I bought some the other day and they have 3s on. Going straight in the bin.'
