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Can you eat expired eggs from the grocery store?
With the rising costs of food, and avian flu influencing the cost of eggs, consumers are looking for ways to hold onto their pennies, nickels, and dimes.
This could mean eating out less, being conscious of what you are spending at the grocery store, and yes, scrutinizing expiration dates.
But how important are these expiration dates?
When it comes to eggs, the answer might surprise you.
Depending on the state where you live, you may find a variety of different date indicators on a package of eggs.
It could be EXP (for expiration), “best by,” or even “sell-by.”
But what do these dates really mean?
It may surprise you to know that these dates have more to do with quality than they do with safety.
In fact, the only federally required product to have a firm expiration date is infant formula.
According to the United Stated Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), “dates may be voluntarily applied provided they are labeled in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and in compliance with FSIS regulations”
Essentially, as long as the calendar date includes both the month and day (the year added for shelf-stable and frozen products) and a phrase adjacent to explain what the date is for (e.g., “Best if Used By,” “Sell-by,” etc.), it is compliant.
Quality factors are often determined by the length of time and temperature food is held during distribution and offered for sale, types of packaging and/or preservatives.
The Quality of perishable foods may deteriorate beyond the package date; however, it may still be safe to consume if it is handled and stored properly. Foodborne illness is not caused by the natural decay of food. Though harmful bacteria can grow in food that is contaminated. Be sure to store food properly (i.e. away from foods like raw meat that can contaminate it) and under manufacturer suggested conditions (e.g. keep refrigerated or frozen).
Always evaluate the quality of a product, expired or otherwise, prior to consumption to identify signs of spoilage.
How old is that grocery store egg? It starts out less fresh than you might expect.
Farmers Almanac explains that “by law, an egg can be sold for up to 30 days after the date it was put in the carton.”
Sounds straight forward, right?
Except, farmers have up to 30 from when the egg is laid to place it in that carton.
Those grocery store eggs may be two months old before you even add them to your shopping cart.
According to Web MD, sell-by date are an indicator for the stores. Not the consumer.
A “sell-by” date tells the stores when to remove products from their shelves.
Most of the time, refrigerated items have these “sell-by” dates. In the case of eggs, Web MD indicates that “eggs are safe for 3 to 5 weeks after the sell-by date.”
This is a wide range, so consumer discretion is advised.
The float test is an age-old method of determining egg quality.
As eggs age, gases are formed within the shell. The older the egg, the more gas is formed.
To determine the relative age of an egg and a good indication of expiration, try the float test.
Fill a wide mouthed cup or deep bowl with water. Carefully place the egg in the water.
If the egg sinks to the bottom, it likely doesn’t have much gas within the shell.
If it floats, there is gas, and your egg is older.
Depending on how high the egg floats in the cup or bowl is a good indicator for egg age.
However, it is still not an indicator of safety.
Not interested in floating your eggs? There is another way to crack the egg code.
In addition to the state recommended date, each egg carton will have a number printed on it.
These are numbers between 1 (or 001) and 365. A number 1 (or 001) represents January 1st. A number 365 represents December 31st.
The numbers in between represent the day of the year.
Now, let’s do some math.
If a carton has a code of 031, the eggs were placed in the carton on the 31st day of the year. January 31st. If the carton of eggs was purchased at the grocery store on February 20th, those eggs are at least 20 days old.
Or rather, up to 50 days old.
However, age is still not an indication of safety.
In some cases, fresh is best. Fresher eggs have more firm yolks and thicker whites, while older ones have yolks not quite as firm and more runny whites.
Fresh eggs have little to no smell. If the egg does not smell good, throw it out. Regardless of the date on the package.
In some cases, the age of the egg matters.
For example, a hard-boiled egg is much easier to peel when it is older rather than fresher. Gases building inside the egg help separate the membrane from the shell – making it easier to peel.
Older eggs are also fine for baking, scrambling, or deviling.
In some cases, the tight and firm texture is important. For example, poached or fried eggs hold together nicer and taste better. Omelets and quiches have a lighter, airier texture when fresh eggs are used. Additionally, fresh eggs are important for whipping applications. Meringues, macarons, and soufflés hold better with fresh eggs.
As long as eggs are not cross-contaminated or cracked, eggs can keep for quite a long period of time. Especially when they are stored properly. To extend your eggs’ freshness, store them in the refrigerator between 37° F and 40° F at the back of the refrigerator where it is less susceptible to temperature fluctuations.
In summary, you absolutely can eat expired eggs from the grocery store. As long as they are stored safely and do not appear spoiled.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Can You Eat Expired Eggs from the Grocery Store?,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
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