According to eggs.org.au (best domain name ever), the cartons we see on the shelves of Australian supermarkets contain eggs that were laid up to 42 days ago. That's six weeks. All we have to go by, traditionally, is the 'use-by' date. Or the even more confusing 'best before'.
By law, an egg can be sold for up to 30 days after the date it was put in the carton. And farmers have up to 30 days to go from when the egg is laid to the carton. That means those supermarket eggs can be two months old by the time you buy them.
If the egg sinks, it is fresh. If it tilts upwards or even floats, it is old. This is because as an egg ages, the small air pocket inside it grows larger as water is released and replaced by air. If the air pocket becomes large enough, the egg may float.
Fresh eggs can be kept refrigerated for up to 6 weeks but always check the use by date displayed on the carton. It is best to put eggs in the fridge as soon as you get them home.
All eggs sold in NSW (except as noted below) must be individually stamped with the producer's unique identifier, usually a number or code. Stamping helps food safety authorities trace eggs back to the farm. It provides a safeguard in the event of a food poisoning incident or outbreak.
A "best if used by/before" date lets you know how long the eggs will be at their best taste and highest quality. You can definitely still eat eggs once this date has passed (as long as they aren't spoiled).
The main egg colour available in Australia is brown, although a small number of farms also sell white eggs. While many people assume brown eggs are more natural and therefore healthier, that's not the case. Brown hens lay brown eggs, white hens lay white eggs, and they both have the same nutritional profile.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Response
The statement continues to say that refrigerating whole eggs is not required because: The Salmonella bacteria which can contaminate an egg while it's inside the bird isn't present in Australian eggs.
Most egg producers in Australia recommend that eggs are stored below 15°C. This means that if the temperature in your kitchen is warmer than this, and in Queensland it most likely will be, then you should store your eggs in the fridge.
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.
If refrigerated, eggs typically stay safe well after their expiration date. Regardless of what that date actually is, the optimal storage time for raw eggs in their shells, according to the USDA, is three to five weeks.
If it sinks or stays at the bottom, it is still fresh. An older egg will either stand on its end or float. The float test works because air builds up inside the egg as it ages, increasing its buoyancy. However, an egg that floats may still be safe to eat, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
An egg can float in water when its air cell has enlarged sufficiently to keep it buoyant. This means the egg is old, but it may be perfectly safe to use.
Up to 30 Days IN the Carton
So that means a commercially sold egg can be two months old by the time you buy it. Sure the egg will be just fine to eat.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, eggs can be sold for up to 30 days after they were packaged. So when your eggs' expiration date has passed, they could be two months old—and still more than likely safe to eat.
Still, as long as they remain free of contamination from bacteria or mold, they may still be safe to eat for days or weeks longer. Eggs have an average shelf life of 3–5 weeks. With proper storage, most eggs are still safe to eat after 5 weeks, though their quality and freshness will likely begin to decline.
Even so, eggs do not need to be washed. If not washed, they can keep without spoiling for weeks without refrigeration. Whether or not to wash your eggs comes down to personal beliefs or state regulations. In some states, you must wash your eggs before you sell them.
While a fresh egg stored at room temperature will start to decline in quality after a few days and need to be used within 1–3 weeks, eggs kept in the refrigerator will maintain quality and freshness for at least twice as long ( 15 , 16 , 17 ).
Eggs should not be stored on the refrigerator door, but in the main body of the refrigerator to ensure that they keep a consistent and cool temperature. Leftover raw egg whites and yolks should be put in airtight containers and stored in the refrigerator immediately.
According to Australian Eggs "Avoiding temperature fluctuation is critical to egg safety. A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the growth of bacteria that could contaminate the egg. Refrigerated eggs should not be left out for more than two hours."
Eggs Aren't Refrigerated in all Parts of the World
However, here in the United States, commercial egg farms are required to clean the eggs before packaging them up in cartons to be shipped to supermarkets, so that means they require refrigeration.
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.
If you think a bright yellow or orange egg yolk is a sign of a healthy well-cared for chicken think again. Most eggs sold in Australia now have their yolks artificially brightened by manufactured additive food dyes placed into the chook's feed pellets.
However, there's no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs. In the end, the only real difference is shell color and maybe price. Nevertheless, other factors do affect the flavor and nutrition of eggs, including the hen's diet and housing conditions.
“We want to encourage customers to remember the days when their parents would boil an egg for tea, draw a smiley face on it and serve it up with hot buttered toast soldiers for dunking into the soft yolk. We want to encourage people to relive that feeling of happiness.”