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Ever wonder what kind of eggs to buy at the grocery store? The Biters over at IdealBite.com have the skinny for all of us:

If the label says:

* Animal Welfare Approved, American Humane Certified, or Certified Humane - eggs came from farms independently certified by animal welfare nonprofits (note: the latter two do allow beak-cutting).

* Cage Free - not regulated, but it usually means producers keep hens uncaged in barns or warehouses (though often there's no outdoor access).

* Free Range - typically means the hens are uncaged and have outdoor access - but nobody checks on the amount or duration.

* Natural - the USDA says Natural food products can't contain "any artificial or synthetic ingredients, and it must be minimally processed" - vague enough that it could apply to just about any egg.

* Organic - third-party-audited label that means the hens are uncaged and have access to the outdoors, and get a diet of organic, vegetarian feed without any antibiotics (beak-cutting and forced molting are permitted).

* Pasture Raised - unregulated, but typically birds raised this way have the chance to go outdoors and eat an organic diet.

* United Egg Producers Certified - producers can restrict hens to small cages and beak-cutting is allowed (but forced molting isn't).

* No Label - the hens were probably raised in a factory farm; if a company can make a claim, it usually will.

The thing they don't cover is which type of egg tastes best. Hmmm...maybe in their next entry they'll cover that topic.

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