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Robert Ancill, CEO of Food Retail Consultancy, The Next Idea reports: If you have purchased a dozen eggs lately, you might have been a bit flummoxed when trying to decide whether to put out more of your hard-earned cash for the free-range variety. How do you know if paying the extra price for this “boutique” variety of eggs is worth it? First, you have to understand just what the term free-range means, and that its definition can be a matter of perspective. Warning: It’s not all that simple. According to Mother Earth News, true free-range chickens eat a natural chicken’s diet that includes “all kinds of seeds, green plants, insects and worms, usually along with grain or laying mash.” True free-range chickens also spend time out of doors walking around and foraging–something factory farm birds can’t do. In addition, factory farm birds are usually fed cheap mixtures of corn, soy, and cottonseed meals with additives. Here’s the confusing part: The USDA defines free range as birds merely having access to the outdoors. Some manufacturers are taking advantage of this definition by leaving tiny doors open on huge sheds, which in turn leaves the door open for the manufacturers to label their eggs as “free range.” So what’s a consumer to do?

Ancill says, “Know what you’re getting for your money”. According to Mother Earth News-sponsored tests, free-range chickens produce eggs of superior nutritional value as compared to eggs from factory hens. In addition, when compared to the official USDA nutrient data for commercial eggs, the eggs from free-range chickens contained up to:

* Two-thirds more vitamin A * Double the omega-3 fatty acids * Triple the vitamin E * Seven times more beta-carotene * One-third less cholesterol * One-quarter less saturated fat

To find out the names of reliable sellers of eggs from pasture-raised hens in your area, check out www.eatwild.com or www.localharvest.org.

The Next Idea (www.thenextidea.net) is a Retail Food and Restaurant Consultancy committed to improving the quality and Healthfulness of the products available to the US Consumer.

Are you considering buying a new barbeque? If it’s been a while since you’ve last looked to purchase a BBQ then you may be surprised by the range of products that are now available on the market. Gone are the days when making use of a barbeque simply meant getting some matches, firelighters and charcoal. These days, there is quite a range of options even in terms of the fuel that you can use.

Let’s start with the most simple pieces of kit. These tend to be those that you heat using charcoal. They tend to be cheapest, mainly because they have the least mechanical parts.

The advantage of such options is that you’ll probably already have a good idea how to use them. It’s often possible to purchase small, portable charcoal grills. These are ideal for picnics and camping trips.

The low prices are another key advantage. What about the disadvantages? Keeping a regular heat while cooking can be a real problem, meaning that you won’t necessarily get the highest quality food in terms of taste.

There is an art to using these barbeques - if you practice, then there’s no reason why you can’t master it.

If you are looking to use the equipment for camping trips, then electric barbeques are another alternative. These tend to be relatively light and can be fairly inexpensive.

Some enthusiasts would point out that electricity is unable to really give the authentic BBQ taste and experience.

Your third option is to look at gas barbeques. These have been increasing in popularity and are often being seen in large commercial premises, such as pubs and restaurants.

The big advantage with gas is that it allows you to control the heat a lot more easily than is the case with charcoal.

Unfortunately, this is reflected in the price tags, which tend to be considerably higher.

Before purchasing your next barbeque think about how often you are planning to use it and whether it’s mobility is important to you.

Also consider how much cooking you are likely to do each time you use it, as the size of cooking surfaces can vary considerably.

Are you bored, lonely and want to make new friends? Do long working hours make it difficult for you to get out and about to meet new people? Maybe you or your friends have moved to a new area and this has left you feeling alone. Even if you are already the proverbial social butterfly you may still find that your existing friends do not share the same interests and passions that you want to pursue. You may have a satisfying social life, but you still find you have no one to travel with you on that round the world trip. You may have your circle of friends, but find that none of them want to buddy-up for the activities or sports that interest you most. Or perhaps your friends are just not interested in the social scene anymore and you want other singles or couples to socialise with or share a chat over a coffee.

These are just a few of the reasons why millions of people search online to find new friends. Matchmaking websites are fantastic tools to help you make friends online. Profile matching technologies enable you to search for new friends by age, gender, location, interests and much more. You can make friends near you or anywhere in the world and learn about new countries, cultures and lifestyles.

Making friends online is easy and anonymous as members get to know you by your username only. You can contact members by sending private messages, post to discussion forums or share online chat.

When you are ready, you can take your new cyber friendships into the real world by arranging meet-ups to share your common interests. If you prefer to meet in numbers, you can join or create your own Local Groups for members to join to share interests and activities near you.