What’s Going On Here?
720 million eggs were wasted in 2018 in the UK alone, over out-of-date fears and people failing to conduct the ‘water test’.
What Does This Mean?
Figures hatched by the British Egg Industry Council shows egg sales in the UK rose by 4% last year which translates to a whopping 7.2bn eggs. However, despite this growth in eggy appetite, research conducted by the owners of food waste app Too Good To Go reveals we actually throw away 720 million of those eggs. That’s no yolk!
Further research showed that 29% of us are throwing eggs away purely based on their best before date, but it turns out that this date isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Apparently, eggs are most often still fine to eat way past any date shown on their shell or box and it’s just that legislation requires this date to be no more than 28 days from their laid date.
Why Should We Care?
Well, not only are we wasting food – which we all know is a serious problem – but we are also missing out on conducting our own science projects at home. Cue the Water Test. Egg-scuse me, what? Not familiar with this test? Don’t worry, 77% of Britons aren’t either.
So how do you know when you’ve got a bad egg?
As an egg ages, the size of its air sack inside gets bigger which will cause it to float when in cold water. So, pop your egg in a cold bowl of water and if it sinks then you’re good to go. Laying flat on their side will indicate it’s at its best and standing upright means it’s less fresh but still good to go. If your egg floats then sorry folks but it’s a goner!
Be Curious!
Are you as terri-fried by egg waste as we are? Or maybe the thought of millions of tiny ‘useless’ male chicks being killed by the egg industry puts you off? How about replacing your eggs altogether? Here are 3 eggs-amples:
1. Top your Saturday toast with scrambled tofu
2. Whip up a chia egg for your egg-free recipes with this easy step-by-step tutorial
3. Divert that over-ripe banana from waste and make brownies!
