Eggs purchased at the store - how old are they really?

[spatcher]

I remember a story on 60 minutes a number of years ago where they showed them taking outdated eggs out of old cartons and putting them in cartons with new dates on them. You just never know unless you have your own!

 

[Gindee77]

Spatcher, I was just coming on to say the same thing. I've heard that they put old eggs in new cartons too. Really icky! That's why I love the idea of having fresh, homegrown eggs!!

 

[All about the EGG]

Sure, when I worked in the dairy dept we would mix eggs...not because of dates, mainly because of breakage! All the stores I worked in always were very strict about expired dairy products.

 

[panner123]

I have no idea how it is now, but in 1965 in drove for a long haul trucking company. At times I would pick up eggs in Ark. to be delieved to the A & P packing house in Phily. Fisrt I might go to New Orleans for something to take to Dallas and so on. It might be 5 or 6 weels before I got to Philly, then they packed them and shipped them to the stores. At times it might be 2 months from being laid until they made the store shelf.

 

[cjeanean]

that is so freakin sick....I can't believe eggs can get that old and still be edible. I guess I should know, when we were growing up we went through eggs so fast that we never refridgerated them, they always sat on the counter next to the stove until we got to them. They would last for weeks without any refridgeration. Still, it does make you wonder.

 

[Linda in San Diego]

I purchased eggs one day without thinking to look until I got home. The eggs were from OHIO! Quite a road trip! But I was able to make deviled eggs easily with them.
Now try to buy my eggs from my local egg lady - but she has so many customers that I am waiting a week sometimes to get eggs when I am ready for them. So now I buy eggs from a store in town that get the eggs from a commercial hatchery - veggie fed and "free range" that is local. In fact the son of the original owner delivers to the stores. I do notice that those eggs are closer to the super fresh eggs that have gotten used to. They don't peel worth a darn! LOL

 

[hoosierhen]

Eggs can be good after several months. Mother Earth News did their own study with store bought and home grown eggs. They stored them several different ways. The ones that were unwashed and refrigerated lasted the longest and were edible after many (9?) months. There is a link on this web site somewhere.

 

[silkiechicken]

Eggs that are not compromised are sterile inside. They just lose moisture over time. However, the oldest eggs I usually end up eating are a month old or so. I have a few eggs that are 6-8 years old or so, but I won't be eating those. They have dried up completely inside.

 

[Half-a-dozen]

Quote:
All very interesting.....BTW.... once they dry up....I guess you could use them for decorating/ painting etc...?

 

[d.k]

* We had one member that bought organic, fertilized eggs from a health food store, hoping to hatch them in their bator. When they contacted the company to find out the age of the eggs, they were given a date of 3-1/2 weeks old. I was blown away because these were health food store eggs and they were nearly a month old already. Sure gets you wondering about OTHER stuff in stores!!