Is Vital Eggs full of Bull@#$% ?

“No Bullshit”… Except the Kind Consumers Are Fed

Vital Eggs (Vital Farms) loves to plaster the phrase “No Bullshit” across their cartons and marketing. It’s catchy. It’s bold. And to be fair — they do share a lot of information openly on their website, including detailed FAQs about feed, housing, and why hens may be temporarily kept indoors during weather events or avian bird influenza outbreaks. If you want to read it straight from the source, you can find their full FAQ here:
👉 https://vitalfarms.com/faqs/

So let’s be clear: Vital Farms isn’t hiding anything.

But transparency alone doesn’t excuse marketing that makes consumers feel like they’re buying something fundamentally different from most free-range or organic eggs on the shelf.

Transparency Isn’t the Same as Truthful Marketing

Vital Farms is a billion-dollar, publicly traded company. That scale brings real constraints — consistency, risk management, efficiency, and biosecurity all take priority. While they market eggs as coming from “small family farms,” the system itself operates at industrial scale, relying on large, stationary barns and standardized practices.

The details are public.
The impression created by the branding is where the disconnect lives.

The Backlash Wasn’t About Corn and Soy

The recent backlash didn’t happen because someone uncovered corn and soy in their feed. That information has always been available. What sparked outrage were lab results showing very high omega-6 (linoleic acid) levels, with comparisons circulating online likening the fat profile to canola oil.

Consumers paying premium prices expected pasture-raised eggs to be nutritionally distinct. When those expectations weren’t met, frustration followed.

It’s worth stating plainly: real pasture intake improves the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio far more than any grain-based ration ever could. When hens actually consume grasses, legumes, insects, and forage — not just grain — the egg reflects that difference. Source

To learn more about our stance on this claim, please read our "No corn, no soy fed" label post. 

And that brings us back to management.

Pasture Access vs. Pasture-Raised

^^^Above is a picture of an organic pasture raised hens operation housing 28,000 hens I toured years ago. 

Vital Farms relies on large, stationary barns, often housing 20,000–30,000 hens (I know because they told me, I wouldn't qualify as a producer without a minimum of 20,000 hens). While the hens technically have outdoor access, hens are prey animals. They naturally stay close to shelter. If the barn never moves, most birds never roam far — leaving much of the pasture unused.

Functionally, this system behaves far closer to free range with outdoor access than what most people imagine when they hear “pasture-raised.” Less forage intake means the egg’s fatty acid profile remains heavily influenced by grain — which explains the omega-6 numbers people are reacting to.

And during avian influenza outbreaks, Vital Farms has openly stated that outdoor access may be closed entirely. Biosecurity matters — but it raises an honest question:
How pasture-raised is an egg when the pasture isn’t always accessible?

The Yolk Color Illusion

Many shoppers rely on yolk color as a shortcut for quality. Brands know this. The industry knows this. And the truth is simple: yolk color is easily manipulated through feed additives like marigold extract or paprika.

A darker yolk looks healthier — but it doesn’t guarantee meaningful pasture intake, better management, or superior nutrition. Color sells. Management tells the real story.

The reality is a better measurement of pasture raised eggs is finding that the color varies throughout the seasons and from hen to hen as pictured above.  

Owning Reality: What We Do at Wanda Farms

At Wanda Farms, we believe honesty matters — especially when conditions aren’t perfect.

We practice true mobile pasture-raised egg production, moving our portable hen houses daily during the growing season to ensure hens actively forage across the entire farm. That daily movement is intentional — it encourages natural behavior, real pasture use, healthier soil, and eggs that actually reflect a pasture-based diet.

But we also live in the Upper Midwest, where winters are long, harsh, and unforgiving.

During winter months, our mobile coops are parked, not for convenience — but for animal welfare. The primary reason is water. In extreme cold, providing frost-free, unfrozen water becomes impossible in a constantly moving system. Parking the buildings allows us to keep water accessible and safe for the hens through the worst conditions.

Even then:

• Our hens always have access to the outdoors, year-round

• We supplement with hay to encourage continued forage intake

• We deep-bed our barns with wood chips, promoting natural scratching and pecking

• That mulch environment naturally contains insects and microbial life hens instinctively seek out

We’re not claiming perfection.
We’re claiming honesty.

Putting Our Ethics Where Our Label Is

Last year, NBC Chicago visited our farm during the avian bird influenza outbreak. They asked why we weren’t locking our hens inside like many large operations.

Our answer was simple:

We label our eggs as pasture-raised. We have a moral obligation to provide that for our hens and customers.

Biosecurity matters — but so does integrity. If we’re going to make a claim, we believe it’s our responsibility to live up to it, even when it’s inconvenient.

The Real Takeaway

Vital Farms deserves credit for publishing their standards openly. But marketing that makes consumers believe they’re buying something radically different — when the realities are often similar to other free-range or organic systems — creates confusion and disappointment.

Now before you go throwing out your eggs from the store. I do agree with many health influencers online reminding consumers, eggs regardless of brand and how they were raised are still highly nutritious protein sources and should not be looked at as poisonous. 

However if you are looking to get the best bang for you buck on quality, then large corporate labels can only tell you so much.

If you truly care about egg quality:

• Find a local farmer

• Visit the farm if you can

• Ask how hens are managed in every season

• Ask what happens during avian flu outbreaks

Because real transparency isn’t found on a carton.

It’s found in open gates, frozen water lines, muddy boots — and farmers willing to show you everything.

That’s actually no bullshit. 🐓🌱

Be sure to come visit us and shake your farmer's hand. 

Farmer Joe, Family, and team