In Europe, farms vaccinate chickens against salmonella. That means the cuticle is still intact when eggs are sold. Refrigerating eggs with the cuticle intact could actually cause mildew to grow. Which could cause… you guessed it salmonella contamination.
In the US, eggs that aren't refrigerated could cause salmonella poisoning—meanwhile, Europe considers it a health risk if eggs are refrigerated. This cultural difference stems from the way eggs are processed before they reach stores.
However, farm-fresh eggs and those in European countries and most of the rest of the world, can be safely kept at room temperature for up to two weeks, says Chau.
In Europe it's a health risk to store eggs in the fridge. In Australia, it's a health risk to store them out of the fridge. Who is right? The answer is all about Salmonella, the general name for about 2,000 types of bacteria that lead to food poisoning.
British authorities actually discourage refrigerating eggs on the theory that chilling and then warming could create condensation, which would allow salmonella to penetrate the shell.
Most people will still put them in the fridge at home, but because in Germany and most of Europe eggs are not washed and sterilized, unlike in the US and Canada, whereby the protective layer on the outside can be damaged, eggs don't HAVE to be refrigerated so the store sells them on the shelf.
If that's the case, then why are eggs not stored in fridges at the supermarket? Well, there's a simple explanation for that. It's apparently because store temperatures are kept below 20ºC, so refrigeration is unnecessary. 'This also prevents significant temperature fluctuations.
The Egg Safety Center has many readers who often ask a similar question: why is it safe to eat room temperature eggs in some parts of the world, but not in the USA? The answer has to do with bacteria: Salmonella. In the United States, it's more than a food safety recommendation that eggs be refrigerated – it's the law.
You don't need to refrigerate farm fresh eggs. Eggs are laid with a near invisible coating called the "bloom" or "cuticle" on the shell. What is this? This coating helps keep air and bacteria out of the egg, keeping the egg fresher longer.
You may not have realized that Europeans actually buy and store their milk outside of the fridge. The reason is a simple one: Europeans rely on a completely different pasteurization method. Canadian and American milk manufacturers utilize high-temperature, short-time pasteurization.
Most countries do not store their eggs in refrigerators. Instead, they leave them out at room temperature. This might seem like a food safety hazard, but both methods are safe.
In most European countries, eggs are kept at a constant “room temperature” from production to the supermarket shelf, to avoid any thermal shock. This is to prevent any condensation from forming, which would allow bacteria to pass between the outer shell and the inside of the egg.
The egg industry faces supply issues impacted by rising feed costs and a hangover from the pandemic restrictions which reduced laying flocks. Egg Farmers of Australia told SBS in 2022 the industry had been impacted by bushfires, floods, droughts, the mice plague, COVID-19 and increased production costs.
Egg washing is not required in Australia, but sale of dirty eggs is prohibited by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Storing washed eggs below 7°C can help reduce the ability of Salmonella to grow.
Food delivery, food boxes and home cooking exploded for a time. More fundamentally, this shortage reflects a long-term trend in egg-buying preferences, with a shift to free-range eggs, whose production is more affected by the colder, shorter days of winter.
Compared to other countries, eggs in Japan are considered to be much less contaminated by salmonella, one of the causes of food poisoning, and therefore raw eggs can be eaten without worry. The most popular way to eat raw eggs is “Tamagokakegohan” (TKG).
In the U.S., egg producers with 3,000 or more laying hens must wash their eggs. Methods include using soap, enzymes or chlorine. The idea is to control salmonella, a potentially fatal bacteria that can cling to eggs.
In Australia, most egg producers recommend storing eggs below 15C. This makes the fridge the best place for them. The Australian Eggs organisation also recommends a “climate-controlled refrigerated environment” for storing eggs.
British supermarkets don't refrigerate eggs. You'll find them sitting alongside canned beans, boxes of dry cake mix, and other nonperishable foods. This is different from the US, where eggs are found in the refrigerated dairy aisle alongside butter, cheese, and milk.
A general rule, unwashed eggs will last around two weeks unrefrigerated and about three months or more in your refrigerator. If you're experiencing an egg boom, it's smart to refrigerate any unwashed fresh eggs you aren't planning to eat immediately. This will help them last longer.
In Europe, farms vaccinate chickens against salmonella. That means the cuticle is still intact when eggs are sold. Refrigerating eggs with the cuticle intact could actually cause mildew to grow. Which could cause… you guessed it salmonella contamination.
Why are Italian eggs never refrigerated? Head to an Italian grocery store and you'll find eggs on grocery store shelves and never refrigerated. There's a reason for this. Eggs have a protective outer layer that protects them from disease and bacteria.
Americans, along with the Japanese, Australians and Scandinavians, all wash their eggs and therefore have to refrigerate them. After the chickens lay the eggs, they're immediately placed into a machine that washes them with soap and hot water.
The case for refrigeration, however, is bolstered by the fact that the shelf life of refrigerated eggs is around 45 days, whereas unrefrigerated eggs are good for only about 21 days.