Which Egg Brands Are Known for Being High-Quality?

Eggs are a staple breakfast food, a weeknight dinner hero, and an essential part of many family traditions. Yet, not all are created equal. Which egg brands are known for being high-quality? For those looking for brands committed to freshness, flavor and humane egg-laying, a few stellar options stand out.

Why Families Care About What Eggs They Buy

Many families also care about how their food is produced, how hens are treated, and how the company treats its farmers and suppliers. Being healthier and more conscious of animal treatment has been one of the biggest drivers behind consumers purchasing better egg choices, and pasture-based systems are of particular interest to consumers who want to support a more humane form of production.

Pasture-raised eggs have gained popularity since hens can show more natural behaviors. Pasture-raised hens can forage, dust-bathe and socialize in their more natural environment. Studies show that hens with outdoor access exhibit meaningfully elevated levels of natural behavior and environmental engagement, behaviors that consistently correlate with animal welfare.

Egg quality is crucial to ensuring healthy eggs free of bacteria. When the inside and outside of eggs are strong, there will be fewer broken eggs, making them safer to eat and better tasting. Healthy chickens produce better weight, shape and shell integrity. Companies that prioritize their hens’ welfare often share a culture of integrity, transparency, and quality that extends from the farm to the carton behind their eggs’ labels.

Methodology: Identifying High-Quality Egg Brands

To find the best egg brands, we started with a set of standards informed by research and what families look for in best egg brands – humane hen care, strong farmer partnerships, clear transparency practices, and a consistent reputation for quality. Below is a table outlining the criteria used.

Key Criteria

Measure	Specifications Considered
Hen Husbandry	Claims should include humane treatment, environmental enhancements, and support for natural behavior, and should avoid making nutritional claims based on the housing system.
Partnerships	Examples of long-term relationships with farmers have led to multigenerational brands that endure.
Quality Controls	USDA grades, good handling practices, uniformity of shell appearance and proper storage conditions all play into overall safety.
Transparency	There should be clear labeling in addition to sourcing and production standards.
Certifications	Weight was given to programs such as Certified Humane, which verifies animal welfare practices through independent audits.
Brand Reputation	Trusted brands are guided by values such as honesty and fairness.
Reviews	How the public views the brand can indicate the quality of the product.

Each element was assigned a score between one and five, and only the egg brands receiving the highest scores were included on the list. While many brands might be decent quality, only the top scorers made the cut.

High-Quality Egg Brands Families Trust

Each brand listed below is recognized for its consistency, humane husbandry practices, transparency, or family-centered values. Which egg brands are known for being high-quality?

1. Sauder’s Eggs

Sauder’s Eggs is a family business with relationships spanning generations. The owners commit to how they raise their hens. The company has been known for honesty, fairness, and quality products for over 80 years. These commitments are all made for families. Sauder’s Eggs represents its motto of “from one family to another to yours” with every carton it produces.

Another defining feature is its traceability system, in which each Grade A large egg is stamped with a code indicating which farm it came from, enabling direct tracking to that farm. Sauder’s Eggs also stresses high standards of hen husbandry, including encouraging natural behavior, and working with smaller, independent farms rather than large agribusiness chains.

2. Pete & Gerry’s

Founded during the 1950s, Pete & Gerry’s became the first Certified Humane egg producer within the United States in 2003, as well as the first Certified B Corp egg brand within the U.S. in 2013. The company states that it collaborates with approximately 300 family farms across 15 states, and its motto is “Healthy Hens, Healthy Eggs, Healthy Planet.”

The Pete & Gerry’s brand is flexible. It is built on a history of family farming and best-in-class welfare programs. People can feel more confident when buying eggs because of how the hens are treated. Its model also supports family farmers and sets standards for animal care.

3. Vital Farms

Its origins distinguish Vital Farms as a pasture in Austin, Texas, and as a network of family farms across the country. It integrates Conscious Capitalism and animal welfare messaging into its brand identity and ensures that its hens’ diets and living conditions align. Families consider Vital Farms the egg brand that gives them the best of scale and responsibility.

The company states that its mission is to bring ethically produced food to the table while improving the lives of people, animals and the planet through its food business. Farmers are paid fairly and are also encouraged to engage in humane practices, such as pasture-raising hens and maintaining land for rotation.

4. Happy Egg Co.

According to the Happy Egg Co.’s website, the best eggs come from “happy hens raised on caring family farms.” The company is known for free-range, organic, pasture-raised eggs from hens that are allowed to ramble acres of pasture.

The brand sources from over 130 small, family-owned farms, mainly in the Midwest, and asserts that by providing each hen with at least 21.8 square feet to roam, the hens can behave naturally, which in turn produces high-quality eggs.

Likewise, Happy Egg Co.’s company story features the “Heartland of Happy” network of family farmers and fair, stable contracts, where farmers focus on producing healthy, pasture-raised hens without the pressure of worrying about their bottom line.

5. Eggland’s Best

Eggland’s Best markets itself as a quality brand. According to the website, all chickens are fed a proprietary all-vegetarian diet free of animal by-products or recycled food. It runs over 75,000 tests per year to check for quality, freshness and nutritional elements.

Owing to its diet and testing practices, the company’s eggs are marketed as higher-quality than standard eggs, with grade AA quality, a longer shelf life, thicker shells and darker yolks.

The nutritional benefits may appeal to some families. What makes Eggland’s Best distinctive is its articulation of how feed, lab testing, and audit protocols integrate to ensure consistently reliable eggs. It’s not that the hens are pasture- or indoor-based, but rather that a controlled, tightly monitored production and nutrition system appeals to consumers who value consistency and defined processes.

6. Handsome Brook Farms

Handsome Brook Farms is a community of small farms in multiple states, providing farmers with the resources and support to care for hens more closely than typically required on an industrial-scale farm. It claims to be the first to provide organic pasture-raised eggs from family farms, which offer large areas for hens to roam. The hens are given a minimum of 108 square feet of pasture each for foraging, dust-bathing, and free movement.

Its “organic pasture raised” label means that its hens receive non-GMO feed, are free from pesticides and chemical sprays, and are not treated with hormones or unnecessary antibiotics. The company is also committed to animal welfare and environmental stewardship throughout the entire production cycle. Each farm is small, allowing a lot of individual attention to hens, which the company says leads to healthier hens with lower mortality rates and more humanely raised eggs.

7. Nellie’s Free Range

Nellie’s Free Range provides eggs from hens raised in accordance with the Certified Humane Free-Range standard on small family farms, which the company uses as a central part of its commitment to treating all animals with kindness and humanity. The brand markets itself as the eggs of hens that are treated “like family,” and attempts to live up to this goal in both its farming and mission.

Nellie’s Free Range washes and sanitizes each egg according to FDA-approved standards. The company monitors the wash water temperature and the amount of detergent used, while also ensuring it meets the care needs of its hens. The company is careful to note that its eggs are not pasteurized for consumption and should generally be cooked before consumption.

Nellie’s Free Range is not strictly organic. They cannot guarantee that the chicken feed they purchase does not contain pesticides or GMOs. The company balances price and the well-being of the chickens. Customers seeking free-range eggs at a lower cost than organic will appreciate Nellie’s.

8. Organic Valley

Organic Valley employs a cooperative-farm model, where a larger group of family-run farms collaborate under the same organic egg production standards, holding farmers accountable to one another and ensuring a transparent system of welfare and production standards.

Eggs from the cooperative’s farms are typically sourced from operations that avoid the use of chemical pesticides, unnecessary antibiotics, and synthetic hormones. The farms in the cooperative often have sustainable, good land stewardship practices that align with some consumer values shared by families. These families seek to purchase eggs from humane and sustainable farms. If you’re looking for co-op-based agriculture with sustainable principles and farm-to-carton transparency, Organic Valley is a reputable choice.

9. Phil’s Fresh Eggs

Phil’s Fresh Eggs is a smaller, more specialized brand, but its emphasis on transparency and consistency allows it to compete with national egg brands. The company often cites its quality assurance systems and standards of freshness, with every egg being tested against them before it reaches the market.

Due to the farm’s smaller size, it can offer a more personal response to consumer inquiries and comments, making it more accountable. For families that want a simple, small-scale producer that avoids the bells and whistles of marketing spin, Phil’s Fresh Eggs is a solid choice.

Comparison Table of High-Quality Egg Brands

For quick reference, print the table below and take it with you to the store.

Brand	Hen Care	Partnerships	Transparency	Quality
Sauder’s Eggs	Encourages natural behaviors and responsible care on smaller farms	Generational relationships	Stamped codes to track eggs back to farms	Strong husbandry oversight and consistency
Pete & Gerry’s	Certified Humane	A few hundred family farms across 15 states	Sourcing and labeling	Compliance throughout the network
Vital Farms	Animal welfare focus	National network of family farms	Open communication and conscious capitalism	Monitor farms for care and environment
Happy Egg Co.	Free range and pasture-raised hens with ample outdoor space	Over 130 small Midwestern farms	Open messaging about range space and focus on quality of hen life	Reliable standards
Eggland’s Best	Uses specialized feed and diet consistency	Many supply partnerships but a unified protocol	Shares information about feed and egg features	Conducts over 75,000 tests for quality and freshness
Handsome Brook Farms	Organic, pasture-raised hens with 108 square feet each and non-GMO feed	Works with small farms across multiple states	Openly shares organic and pasture-raised practices	Closely monitors farms for welfare and sustainability
Nellie’s Free Range	Certified Humane Free-Range via small family farms	Network of farmers focused on kind treatment of chickens	Details about egg washing and handling	Uses FDA-approved cleaning and sanitizing steps
Organic Valley	Meets organic requirements across a series of cooperative farms	Utilizes a co-op model	Offers farm-to-carton transparency	Organic certification
Phil’s Fresh Eggs	Attention to farm care	Encourages personal accountability	Focus on freshness and transparent sourcing	Quality checks before market release

 

Buying Eggs Directly from Local Farmers

For people who are more concerned with the origin of their food and can drive to farms to buy eggs directly from farmers who follow industry best practices, buying directly offers more reassurance that you know where your food is coming from. You have a better idea of the animal-raising practices behind your carton of eggs because you’re meeting those who feed and care for the hens every day. Family farmers or professional ranchers will happily answer questions when asked. You’ll gain peace of mind regarding humane husbandry, good farming ethics, or small-farm stewardship.

A few simple questions help a person determine whether a local farmer’s eggs were handled correctly and stored. Farmers, if serious, can tell you how often they check nests, how they wash eggs for refrigeration and how they raise hens. Small-scale eggs are not graded or subject to as many regulations as those from larger producers. Most farmers show great care and pride in clean eggs handled well. You are getting the story of your food experience firsthand when you buy farm-fresh eggs. Seeing the person who raises or collects the eggs may make their purchase feel more meaningful.

Choosing Egg Brands Known for Being High Quality

Once you know what goes into the production of a better egg, it’s much easier to choose a carton you can trust. Companies with standards honor the families who depend on them every day and produce the best eggs. Once you’re ready to purchase eggs that meet your family’s priorities, look to your local grocery store and specialty health food stores. Most cartons include some form of labeling that helps you find the eggs you want. Choose the carton that best fits your needs. The next time you’re ready to have breakfast, try to buy eggs that come from the kind of farm you believe in.

 

Want to unlock greater wellness?

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