More people are becoming health conscious and naturally, organic produce is the best option for these individuals. Some of us may have wondered if brown-colored chicken eggs are classified as an organic produce. To give light to this matter, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) released a teaser, asking “Kapag brown egg, organic na ba kaagad?”
DOST-PCAARRD gave light to this question through a video posted in DOST-PCAARRD’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PCAARRD/videos/388188432834275. The video featured Dr. Synan S. Baguio, director of the Livestock Research Division of DOST-PCAARRD, who emphasized that not all brown eggs are organic and they do not necessarily come from native chickens.
“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,” explained by Dr. Baguio as he answered DOST-PCAARRD’s Agri-Aqua Ambassador Marvin Agustin’s query about brown eggs being so-called organic by many.
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 do we know if the egg is organic?
Eggs produced organically come from chickens raised in farms certified as adhering to the principles and standards of organic production. Organic eggs are preferred especially by health-conscious consumers whose aim is to maximize health benefits gained from consuming products that use less chemicals in its production.
Dr. Baguio enlightened 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 it did not use chemicals or artificial components 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,” said Dr. Baguio. “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.”
Earlier this year, the DOST-PCAARRD launched its FOS campaign that aims to educate the public on the science behind food production. The campaign will tackle topics on various agricultural commodities such as sweetpotato, native animals, and aquatic commodities. DOST-PCAARRD also introduced Marvin Agustin as the Council’s official Agri-Aqua Ambassador for this campaign.