- Egg shell color is determined by the breed of the hen.
- Since breeds that lay brown eggs are typically larger birds, they require more food, which explains the cost difference.
- The shell and yolk color has no influence on egg quality, flavor, nutritional value, cooking characteristics or shell thickness.
- Egg production in the U.S. has significantly decreased its environmental footprint over the past 50 years. Even with more eggs being produced, the total environmental footprint was down 54% – 63% in 2010 compared to 1960.
- High-quality, nutritionally balanced meals are provided for the hens, consisting of corn, soybean meal, vitamins and minerals.
- Some farms still gather eggs by hand, but most of today’s farms use automated gathering belts.
- After being collected, the eggs are washed and sanitized.
- Since egg shells are translucent enough, a process called “candling” (holding the egg up to a light source) is done to inspect the interior for quality.
- An egg shell can have up to 17,000 pores on its surface.
- After being check for quality, eggs are sorted by size and placed in cartons, large-end up.
- Once packed in refrigerated trucks, they are shipped to local stores within a week of being laid.
- Eggs will age more quickly in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator, so they must be refrigerated.
- Cage-free eggs are being produced more. In 2017, close to 16% of all hens were in cage-free production, which is up from 12% in 2016 and 4% in 2010.
- Nearly 60% of eggs produced in the U.S. are used by consumers, and only 9% are used by the food service industry.
- The average American consumes about 267 eggs per year.
- In 2016, the U.S. table egg production totaled 88.4 billion.
- There are about 319 million commercial laying hens in the U.S.
- On average, each laying hen produces 289 eggs per year.
- Iowa is the top producing state followed by Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, California, Minnesota, Georgia, and Nebraska.
- China is the largest egg producer in the world, producing about 160 billion eggs per year.
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