Pallet of Kirkland Signature organic eggs

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Some of the ways Costco keeps Kirkland Signature prices so low compared with national brands is by handling marketing and production internally. Costco doesn't need to spend millions on advertising its own private label like big name brands might; it just needs to place Kirkland products on the shelves. The savings are great for customers' pocketbooks, but it does leave one wondering: Where do private label products come from?

When it comes to Kirkland Signature Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs, we know the answer. While Costco relies on multiple farms to raise eggs for them, one in particular was named in November of 2024 due to a massive recall. Handsome Brook Farms is actually a multi-state network of farms with a focus on sustainable farming, humane treatment of animals, and responsible land stewardship. They not only supply eggs sold under the Kirkland brand, but they also sell under their own name in grocery stores. The recall was due to eggs that were not intended to be sold mistakenly packaged up and shipped to Costco stores in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

What's the difference between organic, cage-free, free-range, and pasture-raised?

Six free-range eggs in a carton

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Telling the difference between a conventional egg and an organic egg can be confusing. A lot of terms are used in the egg industry, so it can be difficult to determine which eggs you should be buying depending on your needs or concerns. When an egg is labeled organic, it means that the laying hen and her feed come from land that did not use chemical insecticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or antibiotics.

Other terms that may be relevant to shoppers include cage free, free range, and pasture-raised. These all refer to how much room the hen has to move around. Cage-free hens may still spend their lives in barns crowded with thousands of other birds. This doesn't leave much room to roam, but is still an upgrade from spending their lives in cramped wire cages. Free range can look much the same as cage free from the hens' perspective, with the addition of access to the outside world. Pasture-raised hens are given significantly more time outdoors, which should mean less crowded conditions.