For most people living in the United States, when you head to your local supermarket you walk down to the refrigerators to pick up your carton of eggs.
While it may be normal for us, it's actually not how most of the world does it.
It's actually against the law in Europe to wash eggs, and there's a good reason for it.
Find out why on the next page.
When you walk into a grocery store in other countries, you can find your eggs sold on the store shelf with the dry goods like sugar and canned products. These eggs are unwashed and at room temperature.
The Food and Drug Administration states that eggs need to be sterilized and chilled to reduce the chance of salmonella contaminating the eggs. But why is this a problem for us, and not the rest of the world?
It mostly has to do with the the conditions that the eggs are being produced. Europe has placed emphasis in producing cleaner eggs that don't need to be washed, whereas American chicken factory farms are known for being filthy, at best. In the U.K. the majority of egg producers vaccinate hens to help prevent Salmonella, whereas the FDA does not require it in the States.
For those living in the U.S. don't pull your eggs out of the fridge. Doing this could actually cause problems and you may get sick. In the washing process, the cuticle is removed and it's easy for bacteria to move through the porous shell.
If you would rather have eggs without being washed and chilled, find a local farmer that doesn't follow this procedure.
Rule of thumb is if you buy them chilled, they need to remain that way. If they are unchilled you are free to keep out of the fridge.
Will this change the way you eat eggs?