Is the print on eggs safe for consumption?

Is the print on eggs safe for consumption? - African American female buyer in protective mask and gloves carrying loafs of bread in grocery store

I notice that many eggs nowadays have print on them that states the expiration date of the egg. I have only see the print in pink. Are these print safe for consumption, for example, if I boil an egg with such printing on it along with other food in the same pot, is it safe to eat the food boiled along with it? I am wondering what's the content of the print, is it just food coloring, which should be safe to eat?



Best Answer

This is an excerpt:

Regulatory compliance. Inks used for egg coding must comply with government regulations governing food marking inks. These broadly state that inks printed on food items must be safe for human consumption, both when the food item is raw and when it is cooked. Egg coding must not weaken the egg shell or penetrate through the shell. Once dry, the ink should remain on the egg shell and not contaminate the egg during the cooking process.

Now, that is taken from this link which is actually an advertising pamphlet by a company selling their printing service, but it should be true for commercial products. If a small farm is stamping their own, then it might be worth questioning them.

I would expect to see more and more eggs getting the inkjet treatment as more countries are making it a requirement, not just acceptable. One would assume this is to prevent practices like carton swapping and relabeling of old product. Myself, the only eggs I have purchased with it on also happened to be in red and it was only logos, not date and tracking info. They did not do a good job with the fast drying aspect as the logos were smeared on some eggs, but when the eggs were boiled it did not fade or further smear. There are multiple food safe inks, often meat and meat products are inked thought typically on fat, skins or casings, but candies, baked goods and such are expanding that practice steadily. I am not sure what type of inks they are using as soy based food grades any I have seen tend to smear and wash off. I can only hope since these are food agency approved and even required in some places they were reasonably tested.




Pictures about "Is the print on eggs safe for consumption?"

Is the print on eggs safe for consumption? - A Person Painting Eggs
Is the print on eggs safe for consumption? - Blue Egg on Brown Egg Tray
Is the print on eggs safe for consumption? - Blue Egg on Brown Egg Tray



Quick Answer about "Is the print on eggs safe for consumption?"

These broadly state that inks printed on food items must be safe for human consumption, both when the food item is raw and when it is cooked. Egg coding must not weaken the egg shell or penetrate through the shell. Once dry, the ink should remain on the egg shell and not contaminate the egg during the cooking process.

What does the stamp on an egg mean?

Egg marking is a form of egg labelling that includes an egg code stamped on the egg itself. In the EU there is a producer code regulated by law since 2004. It allows consumers to distinguish free range eggs and organic farming eggs from the industrial caged hen production.

Are eggs date stamped?

Most eggs have a code printed on them. What does all this mean? All eggs should at least show the date of lay/best before date. Class A eggs must be stamped with a code such as OUK54321, and British Lion eggs also have a best before date and carry the Lion logo.

How do you check to see if eggs are bad?

Simply fill a bowl with cold tap water and place your eggs in it. If they sink to the bottom and lay flat on one side, they are fresh and good to eat. A bad egg will float because of the large air cell that forms at its base. Any floating eggs should be thrown out.

How do they stamp eggs?

The stamp is designed with a soft convex stamping surface that moulds gently to the shape of the egg to stamp each egg perfectly with your unique producer code. Eggs can be stamped in trays at a rate of up to 70 eggs per minute, it really is that fast and easy.



How Long Do Eggs Last Before Going Bad?




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Laura James, Eren Li, EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA, EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA