How fresh are my eggs? Here’s what you need to know

Eggs are one of the many staples in our diet, but also one of those foods where any change in its structure or age will affect how it cooks and how safe it is to eat.

Gary Kennedy from food standards consultancy firm Correct Food Systems and Rob Peffer, an egg producer from Molong in New South Wales, gave 702 ABC Sydney the lowdown on egg health.

It is recommended that eggs are stored in the refrigerator to make them last longer, although a cool pantry can also be suitable.

As an egg ages its enzymes start breaking down the protein structure of the egg white and so keeping them cold means the proteins will last longer.

“The biggest problem for eggs is going up and down in temperature,” Mr Peffer said.

Some smaller farms like Mr Peffer’s may stamp their eggs with the laying week.

Other producers use extensive coding which could indicate the farm and what shed the eggs came from.

All Australian eggs should be stamped with farm identification numbers or laying date. (702 ABC Sydney: Amanda Hoh)
The industry standard is that the stamp identifies the egg grader — the person who sorts the good eggs from the bad ones, Mr Kennedy said.

“If there was any problem anywhere in the system, you could trace the egg all the way back to the farm, to which supermarket it was delivered to.”