Store-Bought Vs Farm Fresh Eggs: Which Have A Longer Shelf Life?

Whether egg prices in the U.S. are on the rise or you're just trying to support your local farmer's market, it's natural to see consumers lining up at local farms for farm fresh eggs (rest assured that in general, farm fresh eggs are safe to eat, albeit with a few caveats). Even when eggs are plentiful in the store, some people prefer farm fresh eggs for their flavor and cooking qualities. Whether you choose the convenience of buying them from a store or the freshness of locally sourced eggs, there are a few differences between store-bought and farm fresh eggs that are important for consumers to know. Besides supporting local farmers and being valued for their superior, fresher taste, farm fresh eggs have a longer shelf-life than store-bought eggs. 

This is because they are sourced directly from the farmer and avoid the potentially lengthy shipping time of store-bought eggs. While how old eggs are at the grocery store varies, by the time they reach the supermarket, they could be up to 60 days old: farmers have 30 days to pack the eggs from the time they are laid and, per USDA regulations, the expiration date on the carton can be a maximum of 30 days from the time they were packed. Therefore, by the time you buy eggs from the store, the shelf-life could be significantly decreased, whereas farm fresh eggs are typically sold soon after they were laid, allowing you to store them longer in the refrigerator. 

So, how long do store-bought and farm fresh eggs last exactly? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, if you store your store-bought eggs immediately in the refrigerator after purchasing and keep them there, they will remain safe to eat for three to five weeks. The USDA website states, "The 'Sell-By' date will usually expire during that length of time, but the eggs will be perfectly safe to use." 

Meanwhile, if you purchase farm-fresh eggs locally at a farmer's market, for example, or have your own chickens, there's a higher chance that they were recently laid (possibly within the last couple of days or even the same day). Unwashed eggs can be stored on the counter for up to two weeks (due to a protective coating called a cuticle around the egg) and three months or longer in the refrigerator. If the eggs are washed — thus removing the protective coating — they'll last around two months in the refrigerator. 

If you want to hang onto them for a little longer, you can store the eggs in the freezer. However, you have to crack them open first. Take a clean ice cube tray and crack one egg into each slot. You can freeze the whole egg (whites and yolk), just the whites, or just the yolk (although the texture of frozen egg yolks after thawing is not ideal) for up to 12 months for the best quality, according to the USDA.