Not just our word for it
We have an independent third party verify every Free-Range farm against these standards – and you can trace your eggs back to the exact farm where they were laid.
RAISING THE STANDARDS OF FREE-RANGE
A higher bar for free-range
We didn’t think free-range standards were high enough, so we wrote our own. See what free-range means at Vital Farms.
FAQs
Vital Farms Free-Range is a new shell egg offering we are piloting to bring our high standards and exceptional product quality to more households through a more accessible price point.
Our goal is to raise the standard within free-range by giving the hens more time outside on better land, easier access to get there, and a nicer barn to come back to.
Vital Farms Free-Range is a distinct offering within our portfolio, designed to give consumers another way to choose the Vital Farms eggs that are right for them.
Vital Farms Free-Range will launch in late October 2026 as a limited pilot in select Target retail stores across the South and Southeast.
We built our Free-Range standards to give hens more time outside on better land, easier access to get there, and a nicer barn to come back to.
Free-range requirements can vary widely. Compared with other free-range standards we evaluated, our standards set a higher bar in several meaningful areas:
- More days outdoors: Compared to other free-range standards, our girls have access to more hours and days outside.
- Easier access to the outdoors: Our barns have larger, regularly spaced exits on both sides, scaled to flock size so hens throughout the flock can more easily reach the outdoor area.
- Measured living vegetation: At least 50% of the outdoor area must have living vegetation, and we measure it. Other standards may require vegetation but do not set or measure a specific minimum.
- Guaranteed shade and water outdoors: Our standards require a defined amount of distributed shade and a minimum number of drinkers outside.
- 3rd party Verified: Every flock on our company-owned Free-Range farms will undergo independent verification against our established Free-Range standards.
Like all our eggs, consumers will also be able to see the actual farm where their eggs were laid through our “See The Farm” program.
Both Vital Farms Free-Range and Pasture-Raised eggs come from hens with meaningful outdoor access, but the amount of outdoor space differs. Pasture-Raised hens have access to at least 108 square feet of outdoor pasture per bird. To put that in perspective, a typical Pasture-Raised flock has access to about 50 acres of pasture. Free-Range hens have over 21 square feet of outdoor space per bird, or approximately 10 acres for a typical flock.
Both offerings reflect Vital Farms’ commitment to animal care, product quality, and transparency. Free-Range is a distinct new offering designed to bring a high-quality Vital Farms egg to more households at a more accessible price point.
As you would expect from our farmers, they frequently and thoughtfully monitor the health of their hens. There are two primary reasons our farmers bring their hens inside full-time. The first is to keep them safe from extreme weather. The second is to protect them from seasonal health issues, such as avian influenza. These decisions are often mandated or recommended by individual states, and implementation varies by location. In either case, the girls go back outside as soon as it’s safe to do so.