Natural Grocers Regenerative Organic Pasture Raised

Rating
Farm/Brand Headquarters	Lakewood, CO
Website	https://www.naturalgrocers.com/standards/egg-standards
Market Area	Western US
Total Score	1300

While a store brand, Natural Grocers is one of a the few store brands that was fully transparent with Cornucopia’s investigators. Natural Grocers Brand Product Regenerative Organic Certified Pasture Raised Eggs are supplied by a trusted supplier who was also very transparent with Cornucopia.

They say: “As the only national retailer with a Free-Range Egg Standard as a minimum requirement for all eggs, we value transparency and bringing high-quality products to our customers. So, when we developed a Natural Grocers® Brand Product egg, we understood the assignment to go above and beyond. That’s why we introduced Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) pasture-raised eggs, sourced from hens with 108 square feet per bird of outdoor access on luscious green grasses. We’re proud to support small Mennonite family farms throughout the Midwest that raise their flocks with care—giving them room to move, roam, peck, and perch. Plus, by supporting regenerative agriculture practices, we’re able to improve biodiversity, restore land health, and leave the planet a better place for the next generation.”

Criteria	Points	Comment
TOTAL (possible score is 1700) Scorecard Criteria	1300	4-egg
Brands that have close daily control over their egg production receive the most points. Ownership Structure	80	Store brand with high integrity. Multiple farms supply this brand, but the supplier was very transparent about the supply practices
Brands that only produce organic products make the biggest investments — in time and money — in systems that benefit us all. Eggs sourced from a single operation receive the most points. Eggs of unclear origins and/or with poor oversight receives the fewest points. Commitment to Organic Label	90	Brand sources from farms that only produce organic eggs (the supplier produces both conventional and organic eggs) and store is dedicated to organic integrity
Additional certifications, depending on the credibility of the label, can demonstrate a commitment beyond the organic standards. Other Labels and Standards	100	Regenerative Organic Certified, Certified Humane, American Humane, CDFA, Prop-12, UEP
Smaller flock sizes (the number of laying hens per housing structure) offer better animal welfare conditions. Flock Size(s)	65	Suppliers for this brand have barn with flocks of 15k birds
The best housing offers space for natural behaviors and legitimate access to the outdoors through adequate exits. Hen Housing and Exit Areas	60	Fixed housing barns with policy to ensure ample exit areas (on both sides of barn)
Adequate indoor spacing reduces stress and disease. With less crowding, birds can stretch their wings and more easily perform other natural behaviors. Indoor Spacing	20	1.2 square feet allotted per hen
High scoring brands provide enough space to allow each hen to fully utilize their outdoor area, and to perform instinctive behaviors without harming the environment. Outdoor Spacing	100	108 square feet brand standard per hen (total over lifetime as layer)
High quality outdoor access includes vegetation, soil, and ample opportunities to forage year-round. Quality of Outdoor Access	90	Access to high levels vegetation with natural ground cover, outdoor enrichments, and high quality outdoor access overall with evidence of utilization by hens
Birds that are introduced to the outdoors early are more accustomed to spending time outdoors without fear or stress. Outdoor Access Timing	20	Typical age is 21 weeks
Year-round access to perches, scratching areas, deep litter, novel foodstuffs, and dust bathing contribute to quality of life. Enrichments	100	Enrichments provided indoors and outdoors, in addition to outdoor vegetation
Chickens use their beaks to interact with the world. Authentic organic farmers account for this behavior, eschewing beak trimming. Alterations	80	Hens are beak-tipped (ROC allowed methods); induced molting is not allowed
Raising chicks on farm or buying them from certified organic hatcheries shows dedication to organic production from start to finish. Chicks and Pullets	80	Chicks are certified organic by second day of life
Brands that have low rates of deaths and utilize their spent hens for human consumption or similar score the highest. Deaths, Culls, and Spent Hens	70	Death/cull rate below 10% with spent hens are sold live for food or composted
Brands that closely monitor and manage health of soil, native species, and water quality receive the most points. Environmental Impacts	90	Regenerative practices, attention to vegetative cover, requires native plants, attention to soil health, etc.
Feed Sourcing	75	Brand dictates feed usage from local suppliers
Brands that score well here go above and beyond to ensure the highest animal welfare, taking into consideration their hens’ safety and cleanliness, natural behavior, and stress levels. Animal Welfare	80	Excellent animal welfare benchmark with high-quality attention paid to natural behaviors with brand policies
Cornucopia believes you have a right to transparency. Top brands share information with Cornucopia via a survey and cooperate with our own independent investigations. Transparency	100	Full and open transparency from both store brand and supplier
Brands do not receive points, but this information is offered for people with soy and/or gluten allergies. Soy free and/or gluten free?		Not soy or gluten free
Brands do not receive points, but are invited to submit the name of their Accredited Organic Certifier (suppliers may have different certifiers). Organic Certifier (non-scoring)		MOSA, NICS, OFFA