refrigerating eggs

[cajunlizz]

I am assuming maybe it might be that this is a very large supermarket and sell alot in volumn , compared to the lil maw and Paw country stores that products just sit there and expire .

 

[ibpboo]

You can always do the egg test to see if it is still good.
Put in a bowl of water. If it sinks, it is still good. If it tips upwards, good for baking. If it floats, no longer good.
Do your own egg test and see how long they keep for you in your temps. But, they do last a couple months or so, do not keep close to stove though.

 

[spatcher]

Hardly, they sit in cold storage, LONG before the supermarket sees them. I see now where you would be confused seeing them delivered often. Just buy a dozen and break open one store-bought and one from the nest and compare them. That might convince you!

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Most states require washed eggs to be stored at 42 degress or below. That is the temperature where bacterial growth stops (i.e., salmonella).
Unwashed eggs are different, the co-op that we will sell to with our layer operation only requires 60 degree or lower storage. They put a recording thermometer in the egg cooler and it is checked once a week by the egg truck driver. Eggs are kept there for a week, or slightly longer if holidays get in the way of pick up.

As far as how long they'll last in the fridge or out... There is no definitive time. A lot depends upon the temperature. Most people get uneasy about it long before the eggs have actually spoiled.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

The term "fresh" is relative...and subjective. State laws vary from state to state as does the the definition of "fresh". In Florida, all eggs sold by supermarkets must be washed...this means that they also have to be refrigerated after washing. Usually that is 42-45 degrees...as most of our home refrigerators are.

Personally, I consider our eggs "fresh" if they have NOT been refrigerated and are a week or under old. If they have been refrigerated, I consider them "fresh" if they are under a month old.

Why do threads have to get so argumentative? It's usually one person's opinion versus another.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
So sorry , all I did was ask the initial question . SORRY I even asked the question .

 

[OrpingtonManor]

I have been wondering this very thing. Thanks for the post. I knew about the length of cold storage of store-bought eggs, since my mother retired from a large cold storage operation. However, the question of washing/not washing and length of storage outside the fridge has been very informative. Everyone's posts helped me make sense of this.

This is my first year having chickens, 4 Buff Orpington "chick-chicks", a very spoiled lot.

Thanks!

 

[WA23]

If an egg processing plant is a USDA inspected plant and is using the official shield for the grade, they are given a date of no longer than 30 - 45 days from the pack date depending on the circumstances.

This is a quote from the U.S.D.A. egg inspection manual reguarding the use of dates on cartons:

"When using the official grademark, the date of grading,
corresponding to the consecutive calendar day of the year
when the eggs were actually packed into the consumer
package, must also be shown on the package. The use of
expiration dates on consumer packages by the packer or
retailer is optional. When used, the expiration date must
bear an appropriate qualifying prefix such as “EXP” or a
preprinted statement such as “Sell by,” “Not to be sold
after date on top or end” or “Last sale date on end”.
All expiration dates are calculated from the date the
eggs are packed into the consumer package and may not
exceed 30 days, including the date of pack.Terminology such as "Use before," "Use by," "Best before,"
or other similar language generally indicates the maximum
time frame for expected quality. The dates associated
with these prefixes must be calculated from the date
the eggs are packed into the consumer package and may
not exceed 45 days, including the date of pack."
In addition:

"Several requirements must be met before packaged eggs
may be grade labeled with the official grade shield:
1. The eggs must be graded by and identified under the
supervision of a licensed grader. The eggs may be graded
by an authorized company employee, but then
must be check-graded by the supervising grader.
2. Eggs to be packed in packages and marked U.S. grade
AA, U.S. grade A, or U.S. grade B must be packed from
eggs of current production. Current production means
that the eggs are not older than 30 days when packed.
3. Once packed and shipped for consumer sales, officially
graded and identified eggs may not be regraded,
repackaged, or redated.
4. Eggs must be packed in establishments meeting the
facility and operating requirements set forth in the
USDA regulations."

It appears that a maximum of 60-75 days from lay is acceptable to the U.S.D.A. FWIW

 

[PortageGirl]

[edit] I see WA 23 answered better than I did!!! so take mine with a grain of salt! Though my father did work at that company, either he was mistaken about time, or possibly exaggerated?... hehe. 75 days is 2.5 mo? Still doesn't mean spoiled just not too great I'd think.[/end edit]

If they're in a cool spot, quite a while. I try to keep it down to a couple weeks, and when pushed, not much over a month, and our cold part of our basement is about 50 in the winter I think... (now I need a thermometer there cause I'm curious! LOL ). I don't refrigerate eggs for my own use at all... counter is fine for a dozen at a time, basement is cool enough for me otherwise, even in the summer, (probably 65 or so in the one corner).

This is Ohio's regs and I think other states are similar....
925.03 Maintaining shell eggs in refrigeration.

(A) Each producer and processor shall maintain shell eggs in refrigeration at an ambient temperature that does not exceed forty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/925

I refrigerate any I'm giving away or selling even though in Ohio a home producer selling directly from the place the chickens are, is exempt from even that rule.

I do agree that eggs can be and often are warehoused for months at a time before they reach our tables. My father worked for a company called Cottage Creamery at one time, and they marketed eggs under their company name. Purchased them from a middle-man company who had them in a warehouse for some weeks, then they got them to their warehouse, stored for some weeks, shipped to wherever they got delivered to, and they stored em for some time too. It adds up by the time eggs get put on a shelf. I think in off months, it did add up to 4 months regularly, and occasionally up to 6. They had a Quality Control section who would break a certain number to check them if the time went above a certain level. I'm sure different companies have different standards.

If kept too long they start to drop in grade, which is measured by air cell size among other things... I've tried to read it all, but I had 20 years of 'other' regulations... I lost energy for sifting through the USDA regs.

 

[normlori]

Heck, I hear that the U.S. is importing eggs from China. You think they are being flown over here? No, shipped. Takes a long time for a ship to get to the U.S. from so far away. Then they have to go to distribution centers before they get to the store. Six months sounds readonable to me.