Why Are Eggs Refrigerated in America?

Larry A. Law

The United States is the only country in the world that requires the washing of eggs before they are sold. As a result, the outside membrane called the cuticle is washed away, leaving them vulnerable to outside bacteria and other sources of spoilage. That is why they must be refrigerated. You can feel the cuticle on a freshly-laid egg as little bumps on the surface of the shell.

​Once refrigerated, they cannot sit on the counter. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) explains: “After eggs are refrigerated, they need to stay that way. A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the movement of bacteria into the egg and increasing the growth of bacteria. Refrigerated eggs should not be left out more than 2 hours.”

The Surface of a Freshly Laid Egg

A chicken egg's cuticle is a thin, organic, non-calcified layer that protects the egg from bacteria, dehydration, and physical impact. It's also known as the bloom and is deposited on the eggshell during the last 1.5–2 hours of shell formation in the hen's uterus. The cuticle is made up of glycoproteins, carbohydrates, and some fat, and it fills the shell's pores to regulate gas exchange and prevent air from penetrating. This helps keep bacteria out, such as Salmonella and E. coli, and acts as the egg's first line of defense against infection. Eggs with good quality cuticles are protected from becoming infected. People eat eggs without refrigeration all over the world and never get sick. Americans did the same before refrigeration became common in the 1950s. Why the change in the United States?

Advent of Industrial Raising of Chickens

Chickens raised on family farms and allowed to roam freely, eating their natural diet, lay clean eggs in their nests. However, the advent of Big Agriculture with chickens packed in huge warehouses inches apart and layered on top of each other created a horrific mess of chicken poop and urine. These places are filthy and when chickens lay eggs, the chickens and the eggs are immersed in chicken fecal material. As a result, washing those chicken eggs becomes absolutely necessary in order to remove the muck. 

The industry lobbied the government over decades to make this the general rule. In this way, they forced small farmers, who run much cleaner operations, to abide by the same rule. So, everyone has to wash their eggs and all eggs for sale have to be put into the refrigerator immediately, because without the cuticle, they are vulnerable to infection. 

What about the bird flu? These types of diseases typically do not show up in small farm flocks. They are a problem only where Big Ag industrialized methods make chickens vulnerable to all manner of infection. So the question remains: Why should small farmers be forced to take precautions against a danger that mainly affects heavily-subsidized industrial farms? 

Hope for Change

​The Supreme Court has now clearly said that federal regulatory agencies cannot simply pass their own rules without a legislative mandate on the particulars. This momentous decision is called Loper Bright and it repudiates the previous rule involving Chevron. I'm hopeful that small farmers will now have a fighting chance to change the law.

Butter

Speaking about refrigeration, did you know that butter does not need to be refrigerated? Since we were married 46 years ago, we have always left our butter out on the counter, because it is much more spreadable and easy to use that way. Many people fear that it might spoil and go bad. But like freshly-laid chicken eggs, it is safe and protected by nature. Even the USDA acknowledges that butter is safe to eat at room temperature. While the USDA recommends not leaving butter out for more than two days, many of us know you can leave salted butter out for weeks without any problems.