Why don't UK stores keep eggs refrigerated?

One of the things that really puzzled me about my very first visit to Tesco was finding the eggs out on a shelf, not in a refrigerated case.  Tim's sister told me they don't keep eggs in the fridge, and when I was over at Tim's parents, I saw the eggs sitting out on the counter in a bowl.  Tim's fridge though, has an egg holder. At home we put the eggs in the fridge and if they stay out of the fridge for an extended period of time they are considered "spoiled" and get thrown out.

So which is it and why?

Ooh, I know this one - it was asked a few months ago here:

Basically, when eggs are first laid, they have a protective layer on them to prevent them going bad. This layer remains intact unless the eggs are stored above or below a certain temperature - so as soon as they are put in the fridge, the layer breaks down and they must be kept in the fridge or they will go bad.

In the UK (and other areas of the world), eggs are not washed/cleaned before they are sold in the supermarket and so they still have their protective layer intact and are safe to be kept at room temperature. However, once you get them home and put them in the fridge, they have to be kept in the fridge.

In the US, though, USDA standards require that all eggs are washed/cleaned before they are sold and so the protective layer is destroyed and so they have to be kept in the fridge in the supermarket to prevent them going bad.

As long as you don't put them in a fridge or in a hot room, they will stay fresh at room temperature until you want to use them .

On the other hand -- in defense of American practices -- back home, I regarded eggs as good indefinitely. I'd use eggs that were in the fridge for months, sometimes. Though I always broke them into a cup first, I can't recall breaking open a bad one.

Here, we pay attention to sell-by dates and use up eggs within a couple of weeks. Would they keep as long if we didn't? I'll never know...

I think that's absolutely right, although I have noted on egg cartons here that most of them say something about refrigerating after purchase, and I generally do - habit, and not really having anywhere else to keep them!

I remember reading something some months back (probably around Easter time) why it's hard to find white eggs in this country - don't have a link and don't know if it's true, but at one time, someone got the bright idea that eggs with brown shells are healthier!  They're not, the only difference is the colour, and it's also my understanding from those years when I kept chickens that the brown eggs seem to have a slightly sturdier shell...

Heh. Rhode Island dairy farmers promoted the slogan "brown eggs are local eggs, and local eggs are fresh." Complete crap, of course; it's all down to the chicken. And I don't believe there was any sort of chicken enforcement in RI.

We kept chickens that laid blue and green eggs when I was a kid. They weren't really araucanas, I don't think, but something like.

I thought white shells were the result of some kind of cleaning/bleaching process and all/most eggs start out brown.

Live and learn, I guess.

All depends on the breed of the chicken.  Rhode Island Reds, as Stoatula intimated, lay brown eggs.  Leghorns, I think, lay white - there are loads of breeds of chickens laying all different shades of colours, including araucanas and a few other that lay those fantastic pastel blue and green eggs! 

I thought white shells were the result of some kind of cleaning/bleaching process and all/most eggs start out brown.

Live and learn, I guess.

That's what Tim thought too when I asked him about the no white eggs in the UK thing.

In the UK (and other areas of the world), eggs are not washed/cleaned before they are sold in the supermarket and so they still have their protective layer intact and are safe to be kept at room temperature. However, once you get them home and put them in the fridge, they have to be kept in the fridge.

In the US, though, USDA standards require that all eggs are washed/cleaned before they are sold and so the protective layer is destroyed and so they have to be kept in the fridge in the supermarket to prevent them going bad.

As long as you don't put them in a fridge or in a hot room, they will stay fresh at room temperature until you want to use them .

Hmm, could that also explain why I seem to have a harder time actually cracking eggs here? LOL. I swear, the brown egg shells are just hardier than white egg shells in the US!

That's what Tim thought too when I asked him about the no white eggs in the UK thing.

Hmm, could that also explain why I seem to have a harder time actually cracking eggs here? LOL. I swear, the brown egg shells are just hardier than white egg shells in the US!

From the Wiki page on eggs (because I can't be bothered to look up the official source):

Shell

Egg shell color is caused by pigment deposition during egg formation in the oviduct and can vary according to species and breed, from the more common white or brown to pink or speckled blue-green. In general, chicken breeds with white ear lobes lay white eggs, whereas chickens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs.[15] Although there is no significant link between shell color and nutritional value, there is often a cultural preference for one color over another. For example, in most regions of the United States, chicken eggs are generally white; while in the northeast of that country and in the United Kingdom, they are generally light-brown. In Brazil and Poland, white chicken eggs are generally regarded as industrial, and brown or reddish ones are preferred.

And also from the British Lion eggs FAQ page:

Why are some egg shells brown and some eggs white?

The colour of the egg shell is dependent on the breed of the hen.  In general, white hens produce white eggs and brown hens brown eggs.

Up until the early 1970s, white eggs were popular in the UK, but during the late 1970s the number of white eggs began to diminish as consumers expressed a preference for brown eggs.  Since the 1980s the British industry has produced almost 100 per cent brown shelled eggs, although several other countries still produce white shelled eggs.

There is no nutritional difference between white and brown shelled eggs.

Can you tell that I am off sick today and bored? I'm searching the internet for info on eggs, lol

I've never refrigerated my eggs and I can't recall the last time I had a bad one.  My family in Italy never did it either so I guess it's a habit I picked up from them.

We kept chickens that laid blue and green eggs when I was a kid. They weren't really araucanas, I don't think, but something like.

I work with a guy who has some chickens that lay light green eggs.  I've no idea what breed of chickens he's got.

I work with a guy who has some chickens that lay light green eggs.  I've no idea what breed of chickens he's got.

I'm just trying to imagine hubby's reaction to eggs like that. He wouldn't eat the white eggs when he came to visit me in the U.S. cause he thought it wasn't normal.

Hmm, could that also explain why I seem to have a harder time actually cracking eggs here? LOL. I swear, the brown egg shells are just hardier than white egg shells in the US!

I have to disagree...back in the states I'd get a nice clean break in every egg.  Here though, even with the hardy freerange Columbia Blacktails, I almost always get fragments in my break

I have to disagree...back in the states I'd get a nice clean break in every egg.  Here though, even with the hardy freerange Columbia Blacktails, I almost always get fragments in my break

I agree with that. 

You'll also find that free range eggs are also harder to crack than others...

We are lucky in that my parents neighbors provide us with eggs most of the year.   Our eggs are no more than a day or two old when we get them.

In the UK I always refrigerated my eggs as I felt they kept longer.