Are brown eggs automatically organic? Not all, says DOST-PCAARRD

The age-old dispute on whether brown eggs are organic or not has been ended by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).

The answer: Not all brown eggs are organic and do not necessarily come from native chickens.

This was according to Dr. Synan S. Baguio, director of the Livestock Research Division of DOST-PCAARRD. Baguio shed light on the issue after DOST-PCAARRD posted a teaser, asking “Kapag brown egg, organic na ba kaagad? (Are all brown-colored eggs organic?)”.

Since a lot of health conscious individuals opt to buy natural and organic produce, it's best to address the matter.

“Ang brown eggs ay hindi po automatic na organic at hindi rin po automatic na itlog sila ng Native Chickens. Ang kulay po ng itlog ng manok ay nakabase sa lahi ng manok na ginagamit natin na pagproduce ng itlog (Brown eggs are not automatically organic and they are not automatically from native chickens. The egg's color are based on the breed of chicken used to produce to the eggs),” Baguio explained as he answered DOST-PCAARRD’s Agri-Aqua Ambassador Marvin Agustin’s query.

The video is part of the Council’s Flavors of Science (FOS) campaign, which recognizes the efforts of people involved in food production, including farmers, fisherfolks, researchers, and scientists, among others.

How to tell organic eggs apart

According to DOST-PCAARRD, eggs that are produced organically come from chickens raised in farms certified as adhering to the principles and standards of organic production. Health-conscious consumers opt to buy organic eggs in order to maximize health benefits gained from consuming products that use less chemicals in its production.

Baguio reminded the public that a product can only be organic if it follows a certain principle and protocol in producing organic products. He also stated that, to ensure that a product is organic, it should have a certification indicating that it underwent an organic production process.

However, it is safe to label egg products or food products as ‘naturally produced’ if no chemicals or artificial components were used in the process of production.

“Tatawagin lang po natin na organic ang isang pagkain kung ito ay pinoproduce na sinusunod ang mga prinsipyo at patakaran sa pagpoproduce ng organic (We can call a food product organic if it was produced in accordance with the principles and procedures followed in producing organic),” he said.

“Ang katunayan po dito, magiging ‘legit’ na organic lang yan kung mayroong certification as organic product. Kung wala pong certification, pwede na po natin silang tawagin na naturally produced kung hindi natin sila ginagamitan ng maraming mga kemikal o yung mga artipisyal na mga pakain sa pagproduce ng mga produktong ito (The truth is, it will be legitimately organic if it has been certified as an organic product. If not, it can be called as naturally produced if no chemicals or anything artificial was used in producing this product),” he added.

Earlier this year, the DOST-PCAARRD launched its FOS campaign that aims to educate the public on the science behind food production.