I read this in the papers this morning. Shoplifters are 'cracking ways to steal premium eggs'. They switch the more expensive eggs for the standard eggs into the respective cartons. The eggs can be identified by the symbol on them. Crown for the superior ones, lions for the standard. I instantly checked mine in the fridge and found I had indeed been scammed. I will be more vigilant from now on.
By the way. I will now check in the box that the egg stamp begins with an O and not a 1
O = Organic
1 = Free range.
I think I'll continue to buy organic anyway from a welfare pov.
Soil Association certification ones.
Can't afford Riverford unfortunately- but they keep their hens longer too - around 80 weeks.
No Beak Mutilation
Smaller Communities in Organic production- flocks capped at roughly 3,000 birds (though smaller units can be 500-600 birds - instead of 16,000 birds. The smaller the flock the less pecking of each other...
More and bigger exits on sheds.
Hens go outside at 12 weeks instead of 21 so it becomes "normal" - better roaming habits.
Hens must have 10m² of space each instead of only 4m² for free range.
Fresher pasture - land must be "rested" for 9 months between flocks to let grass regrow and parasites die. "Free-range" land only needs 2 months of rest meaning it's often just mud.
Organic Hens eat a 100% organic, non-GMO diet free from pesticides. Free-range hens are typically fed standard industrial grain.
No "routine" antibiotics: Organic standards ban the "preventative" use of antibiotics common in high-density free-range system.
Hope this makes more sense of the organic v free range debate.
No wonder they cost more.
Haha! Is it april fools day yet?
I can't see anyone slipping an egg into a pocket, unless they want a big mess by the time they get home and a dry cleaning bill.
Yes, I have seen people swooping eggs between cartons, looked like they were putting the larger eggs into a carton for cheaper eggs. No good telling the supermarket staff, they avoid confrontation with dishonest customers.
I do check for broken or leaky eggs but didn't realise there was a difference in the markings so will check for that in future too.
fancyflowers
Who could be bothered doing this? Call me an idiot, but to me an egg is an egg.
They're either large or small. I use large for scrambled eggs and small for boiled or fried eggs. I honestly couldn't care much about what stamp they have on them.
They also vary in price, quality, size and yolk colour. Yes, you can even buy organic and free range eggs these days!
Which supermarket do you shop at?
Or perhaps you are an older man.
Because that is the sort of silly thing they would say.
Do they still sell dried egg powder. That may suit you better.
Check also there are 6 eggs in the carton. It's very easy to slip one out into a pocket with no one noticing that.
The thing about 'organic' eggs seems to be that, to be able to make the claim 'organic', the hens have to be fed with something that is good for preventing macular degeneration, and not the yellow colouring agent. Sorry about the lack of detail. Will look it up after I have posted.
Link not working so here is a partial screen shot
For info on the thefts of used cooking oil.
There are countless reports out there but hopefully this link will work
share.google/g2umKHg2t9lu5dnYn
They call it “liquid gold” and the Treasury loses £25 million a year due to theft.
Tizliz
British class A eggs are stamped with a lion
This is a particular brand, Tizliz. Can't remember which one but they have a crown AND a lion.
I spotted a fine wisteria in a Homebase trolley. I had a look to see the price but the label was for a much cheaper item....
ViceVersa
The free range eggs we buy are most definitely free range - there are a few little smallholdings near us where the chickens roam freely in their pastures. The eggs are no more expensive than supermarket free range ones - in fact, the chap we buy ours from most often charges £1 per half dozen.
We buy free range eggs, reasonably priced, from a near farm.
The crown is only for eggs supplied by Clarence Court stocked in Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Morrisons. It doesn't mean they are any better quality than those bearing the recognised Lion symbol which shows they are salmonella free, but are probably more expensive
50 or 60 years ago we used to have a guy called Tam the Chicken Man who went round the doors selling eggs, all with double yokes.
cc
I looked it up online and the Clarence Court site says "The Clarence Court crown simply replaces the lion stamp you see on other free range eggs". Nothing about the eggs being higher quality, though they are definitely more expensive.
I think that most eggs are free range now, the Ocado ones seem to be, unless there is bird flu around and the hens can't go outside.
I usually poach our breakfast eggs and the only difference I've found between the different brands is that the freshest ones hold together best.
Of course eggs from a local farm would always be ultra fresh but sadly most of us can't access these.
Yes there is basically no difference between the nutritional value of any eggs you buy (from wherever). The colour of the yolks is down to an additive to the chicken feed - egg producers can choose from a 'colour chart' what shade of yellow they want the yolks. The older an egg the more it spreads in the pan etc. You can also tell the age of an egg by the size of the air sac inside the shell - the bigger the sac the older the egg.
I am for some reason a bit averse to white eggs......though again nutritionally they are no different to brown. Brown shells tend to be tougher, but egg shells thin and become 'rough' as the hens get older. I usually buy what is the best price and what I like the look of (yes I always look inside the box and wobble them around too - checking for cracks etc). I was an egg producer for 20 years (commercially) - so think I know the score!
I knew someone who did this for years! He could well afford groceries. He did it for fun and excitement. Could never be dissuaded.
My local French shops are still suffering from a shortage of eggs, Avian.
BlueBelle
Sounds like the care home was in on it too
I think MacDs advertise that they reuse their cooking oil, after something is done to it, to use in their vans and lorries. I believe there is money in collecting used cooking oil I suppose he was being clever to try and start up a business in it
How can you pick up cooking oil without permission ?? Break into the kitchen at night time ???
If you've ever heard of bio fuel, it has an element of re-cycled cooking oil in it.
I used to run Isuzu Trooper 4x4s on fresh cooking oil which was tax free. It was cheaper than diesel before the Ukraine war but the price went up quite significantly then. The market for recycled oil increased but it became impractical to mess about with the filtering at home, but on an industrial scale it's still very economical.
McDonald's recycle their oil and the majority of their truck fleet run on it now. If you watch a delivery at a McD's you'll see that at the end of it, the entire deep fat fryer unit is loaded back into the truck as a sealed unit for return to the depot and re-cycling of the contents.
The free range eggs we buy are most definitely free range - there are a few little smallholdings near us where the chickens roam freely in their pastures. The eggs are no more expensive than supermarket free range ones - in fact, the chap we buy ours from most often charges £1 per half dozen.
fancyflowers
Who could be bothered doing this? Call me an idiot, but to me an egg is an egg.
They're either large or small. I use large for scrambled eggs and small for boiled or fried eggs. I honestly couldn't care much about what stamp they have on them.
Absolutely agree, other than size and age there is no difference.
I looked it up online and the Clarence Court site says "The Clarence Court crown simply replaces the lion stamp you see on other free range eggs". Nothing about the eggs being higher quality, though they are definitely more expensive.
I think that most eggs are free range now, the Ocado ones seem to be, unless there is bird flu around and the hens can't go outside.
I usually poach our breakfast eggs and the only difference I've found between the different brands is that the freshest ones hold together best.
Of course eggs from a local farm would always be ultra fresh but sadly most of us can't access these.
Used to buy from a local farm but became too expensive compared to supermarket. As for free range, the only free range I know of is huge barn like buildings containing thousands of birds. They can move about indoors. The free range part is that there are holes in the walls to allow hens to go outside if they want to. Sadly hens follow the pack and if no one goes out neither do the others. Large chicken business in north of county where I live, have yet to see a chicken outside never mind a few thousand.
nanna8
I get Aldi free range here - they are cheaper than all our other supermarkets. About $4.50 a dozen for nice large eggs.
Aldi here are 29p each, Sainsbury 19p, but large Duchy originals are 46p, so I guess someone thinks it is worth it.
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