• Gork@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    158
    ·
    4 months ago

    As an American, I cannot legally touch any egg that hasn’t been ultra-pasteurized followed by continuous cold chain refrigeration and served in either a Styrofoam or pulped paper cardboard egg carton.

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    74
    ·
    4 months ago

    In the US, there’s a concern for salmonella or other bacteria and viruses. Factory egg farming is a horror show in regards to overcrowding and hygiene. Sick birds are crammed in with healthy laying birds, and washing the eggs is one of the safest ways to prevent contamination.

    It does increase the permeability of the shell, decreasing shelf life and requiring refrigeration.

    If your eggs looked like this in the USA, there’s a small but non-zero chance that you’ll shit yourself to death. Probably not, but it’s scary enough.

    We could improve factory farming regulations so it’s not a like a Cronenberg movie, but then eggs would be more expensive. And even if we did, and stopped washing our eggs, Americans would still want them to look clean and would still keep them in the fridge because we’ve been conditioned to expect to die on the toilet covered in wet feces if we see bird poop on the eggs.

    • echo64@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      38
      ·
      4 months ago

      Fwiw, the eggs wouldn’t have to be more expensive, the eggs cost what the market will pay.

      The only change is that the people profiting from your poor food conditions will profit slightly less.

      This is a common lie they tell everyone.

    • Justin@lemmy.jlh.name
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      19
      ·
      4 months ago

      Keeping unwashed eggs in the fridge at home helps them last longer, as long as you don’t leave them out to sweat.

      But yeah here in Sweden, we rarely ever get salmonella recalls since the chickens aren’t strapped to a box here.

    • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      4 months ago

      If your eggs looked like this in the USA, there’s a small but non-zero chance that you’ll shit yourself to death. Probably not, but it’s scary enough.

      Unless you got it from your own chicken coop

      • NoneYa@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        15
        ·
        4 months ago

        Store bought anything is pretty bad nowadays, at least speaking as an American.

        Produce often has listeria, ecoli, salmonella, etc outbreaks, it’s ridiculous. Extends to eggs, spinach, lettuce, radishes…anything. Going vegan doesn’t solve this problem unless you’re only eating what you grow at home.

      • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        4 months ago

        But eggs are yummy. Baked goods, thickened sauces, omelettes and deviled eggs and egg salad, you can’t really replace them with vegan alternatives. Aquafaba is pretty close for some of it, but people like their eggs and don’t care about how much their food suffers before we eat it.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        4 months ago

        It is way too challenging in my mind at least. I do one meat meal a week and veg the rest. All the fun stuff has milk and eggs in it.

        But hey you do it if it makes you happy.

    • buzziebee@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      4 months ago

      Chickens are vaccinated against salmonella (and a bunch of other things) when they are chicks in Europe. It means you don’t need to worry about shitting yourself to death, the chickens are slightly happier by not being sick, and your eggs stay fresher for longer.

      It would probably add $0.005 per egg, so US producers will claim it’s communism if a regulation is brought in to vaccinate chicken, but it would be worth doing.

      • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        4 months ago

        You mean you put 5G tracking devices in your chickens?

        Really, though, getting poultry farmers to spend a penny per dozen eggs is like trying to squeeze water from a rock.

        • lad@programming.dev
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          4 months ago

          Yeah, it helps one find them if they run away

          They’ve made a documentary about it back in the day: chicken run (2000) movie screenshot

          • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            They recently made a new one with up-to-date info on the security of those chickens

      • ArtificialLink@lemy.lol
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        4 months ago

        Fuckin finally. The tryna high road the Europe and shit like they don’t have poor chicken treatment situations too. Its all down to vaccination requirements. They the treatment of chickens cause both places have issues lol

      • fidodo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        4 months ago

        Refrigerating the eggs end to end costs money too, possibly more. I don’t think it’s about ongoing cost but rather upfront cost to switching.

  • fidodo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    51
    ·
    4 months ago

    The biggest reason eggs are refrigerated in the US is because they’re not vaccinated for salmonella, so refrigeration is needed to inhibit growth. The US was able to do that since they have the infrastructure for end to end refrigeration. It’s not necessarily wrong, it’s just another way to do it. Since salmonella can also be on the outside of the egg they need to be washed, and since they’re refrigerated the loss of the protective layer doesn’t matter. I guess in Europe with the vaccination it also lowers the chance of salmonella on the outside of the egg allowing the outside to remain unwashed and protective of the inside making refrigeration unnecessary. There’s just not enough of a reason to change things in the us now since the refrigeration method is already in place and switching would cost more up front. The main downside is that you can’t eat raw eggs in the US which means some dishes can’t be made, but the vast majority of the US isn’t interested in raw egg dishes anyways.

  • BetaBlake@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    43
    ·
    4 months ago

    I know hardy har har such banter, but for real we also have unwashed eggs, and plenty of Americans have chicken’s, I currently have 80 in my backyard and am overflowing with eggs on my countertops.

    Your jokes will hit harder if they come from a place of reality and not only information gained from reddit and social media posts.

    • MyDearWatson616@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      35
      ·
      4 months ago

      There are Americans who own chickens and Americans who’ve never touched one. It’s a big country. This post applies mostly to city folk.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        4 months ago

        This post applies mostly to city folk.

        The ones subsidizing the rest of the country. You think Cletus has health insurance while he cosplays as a farmer think his 600 dollar a month land tax is paying for his 4 kids in school? 9 out of 50 states pay federal taxes and those states all happen to have the biggest cities.

        But hey I get it. My parents were cosplay farmers as well. Here I am working like a schmuck for a living.

        • Wolf_359@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          edit-2
          4 months ago

          My man, if people want to own a couple chickens it’s not that serious.

          The rural welfare states are really a separate issue from that.

          I do find it funny that conservative states are so anti-welfare when their existence depends on it though.

          • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            4 months ago

            I don’t get upset about people having a hobby, I encourage it. Just you know because you have fun doing something doesn’t mean the rest of us have to subsidize your hobby. I enjoy baking that doesn’t mean I get to quit my job and do it full time and depend on the government to pay me for it.

            Knew a lot of families like mine growing up. Want to get a real job? No? Ok go back to failing at potatoes, and spend all your free time hunting while drunk.

      • wesley@yall.theatl.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        4 months ago

        I live in a major American city maybe 4 miles from downtown and I have a farm with fresh eggs and produce a block from my house.

    • BigBenis@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      I think that’s a fair point. However in this case, as an American I personally know people here who are like this.

      A friend of mine will go to the store and buy more eggs because he refuses to eat the fresh eggs I keep on my counter.

      Edit: He also keeps an ice chest in his trunk to keep them in during the 20 minute drive from the store…

    • Godric@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      4 months ago

      What, a shitpost didn’t take every singe person who exists in America into consideration??!?!?!?? No way, that’s awful, I can’t believe OP would try and hurt you like that, wild they posted a public meme that didn’t apply to you personally

      Also I believe you by your use of “chicken’s”. I grew up rural and many did not know how to pluralize things.

  • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    41
    ·
    4 months ago

    This probably goes without saying to anyone who has chickens but a message to rest DO NOT WASH your eggs. It’s the stupidest thing you can do. When you wash them you remove protective layer and they can’t last long outside of refrigerator. Even in the fridge chances of getting Salmonella grows very fast.

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    34
    ·
    4 months ago

    Not Americans that are used to eating farm fresh eggs from the local farmers market. I lived in downtown Austin until recently and getting freshly picked produce from local and urban farms every Saturday was one of my favorite parts of my week.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    34
    ·
    4 months ago

    I grew up raising chickens among other animals. Poop and feathers on eggs was the norm. This ‘50s processed white bread, white sugar, clean eggs, etc. that was the sign of “progress” I guess IMO has done more harm than good in some ways.

  • Schmoo@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    Am american and this: eggs is what I have in my fridge right now. Rural living win.

      • wesley@yall.theatl.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        4 months ago

        I still put farm fresh eggs in my fridge because it’s just a lot more convenient to store eggs in the fridge than on my counter where I have more limited space

          • wesley@yall.theatl.social
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            My fridge is designed to store food and has multiple shelves and drawers. My counters are a flat surface area and I’d rather keep them clear for active uses like cutting, prepping, etc.

            There are also appliances competing for space on the counter like coffee machines

            I guess there’s the pantry but it’s also just that I’m used to keeping them in the fridge and it’s not like it hurts them to go in the fridge.

            Anyway, point is it’s really not that weird to keep them in the fridge

          • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            4 months ago

            If its anything like my counter then kinda, honestly ive knocked enough shit off the counter that its just easier to keep em in the fridge.

      • Schmoo@slrpnk.net
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        4 months ago

        Yeah I suppose I could store them at room temp, but I figure they last longer in the fridge and I’m not really hurting for space.

  • Aermis@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    4 months ago

    Am American living in the city with 8 chickens. The only scary thing is seeing eggs in the market go for $10/dozen

    • Vash63@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      Wow, that’s crazy. It’s €4.49/10 here tax included for the fancy free range, low volume farm ones from a not-cheap supermarket.

      • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        4 months ago

        3.2USD here for a dozen cage-free brown eggs!

        My folks’ chickens’ eggs have orange-r yolks tho.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        4 months ago

        Miss living near the Amish. They have these cute big families with so many children and agricultural stuff for low prices. I would love to convince them to somehow some way homestead in my city.

        • Classy@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          4 months ago

          Funny, as someone who works intimately with them I find myself distrusting them. They are great at putting on the “old timey, super genuine sweet Christian folk” persona but don’t get it wrong. Their ideology spreads like a cancer around here. They breed like crazy, buy up all the private land, displace other locals with their farms, eschew environmentally friendly agricultural practice to save money, their buggies destroy the roads and cause terrible fatal accidents. It’s not to say they’re all bad but they’re absolutely a highly insular cult and they have no problem turning on outsiders to further their society.

          • elephantium@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            4 months ago

            buggies destroy the roads

            How? I’d always heard that heavier vehicles do more damage to roads, so I’d expect buggies to be on par with bicycles or maybe motorcycles.

            cause fatal accidents

            I’m curious about this one, too. Do they tend to drive erratically? I’d think their slower top speeds would make it easier to avoid accidents.

            • Classy@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              4 months ago

              Many Amish churches ban rubber tires and the buggies will at best use hardwood wheels, and otherwise they’ll be steel. Weight is of some minor concern but more principally the hard materials as well as the shoed horses wear away at the road. In high density Amish areas it’s common to see two deep grooves in the road from buggies.

              Buggies are not designed for modern roads. They have very little safety features (in fact they only begrudgingly even put reflectors on them, and maybe occasionally flashers for at night), and their bulky, dense bodies and slow movement make them pretty devastating targets to hit. They don’t crumple like a modern car. They explode. Car-on-buggy accidents are very frequently fatal. I know plenty of Amish who have lost family to accidents at relatively slow speeds.

          • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            4 months ago

            displace other locals with their farms, es

            Meh I am not sure how people stuck on old tech are so much better at farming that they can outcompete modern farms. How bad at your job can you be to have your ass handed to you by the 17th century?

            Kinda getting tired of the whole “my life sucks because I am lazy let me get angry at people who are actually successful”. Tall poppy syndrome is running rampant, especially in rural America. You can thank me for paying for your roads btw.

  • Crow@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    25
    ·
    4 months ago

    But my fridge has a little spot just for the eggs. They look so cozy there. I actually don’t know where I’d keep something as fragile as eggs outside my fridge in the kitchen. Genuine question where do you keep your eggs safe? Do they often break?

      • Crow@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        4 months ago

        Well no. I’m Canada we keep the anlpha egg of the dozen in the egg safe. It’s not large enough for a full carton of eggs.

        • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          4 months ago

          C’mon, you’re making Canada sound backwards like that. We have banks and they have safety deposit boxes large enough for several cartons of eggs.

          I also keep eggs hidden around the house in case I get a midnight craving for an omelette and don’t feel like doing a midnight heist on my own eggs. Though I do regret the ones I hid under the couch cushions.

      • lad@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        4 months ago

        It’s not that those are valuable, it’s that those are dangerous. Have you ever tried throwing one after getting it out of an egg safe where it was safely tucked away for the last decade?

    • Vash63@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      4 months ago

      In a cupboard in their container? They don’t spontaneously combust, as long as they’re in the cardboard it’s pretty hard to accidentally break them.

      • BakerBagel@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        4 months ago

        I drop so much out of my cupboards resching for something else. I’ve dropped eggs before, and i would rather clean up a full sack of flour than half a dozen eggs.

        • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          4 months ago

          Sounds like you might need to go through your things and ask if each brings you joy and get rid of whatever doesn’t.

          Does this egg bring me joy? Throws egg on floor, giggles yes it does. Makes note to replace egg