Feather on your egg: coincidence?
Do you recognize this: in almost every carton of free-range eggs, there’s an egg with a feather on it. How can that be? I was once told that those feathers are stuck onto the eggs to make people feel that the eggs come ‘fresh from the farm’. But is that really true?
I could picture it perfectly: factories – probably near Barneveld – where rows of people in white overalls stuck tiny feathers onto thousands of eggs on a conveyor belt. Glue brush in hand, bowl of feathers at their side.
Egginspector
It turned out to be a myth. The real reason you can always find a stray feather is actually surprisingly natural. The egg is moist when it comes out of the hen, so a feather sometimes sticks to it. The farmer removes as many as possible, but one occasionally slips through.
When the eggs are taken to the ‘packing station’, they are sorted by size and sometimes by colour. A special egg scanner – called Egginspector – also checks the egg for cracks, mud and excrement. Feathers, on the other hand, are approved.
The reason? Because the egg is a natural product and consumers like it when there’s a feather on one every now and then. So, after all!
Feathers on eggs taboo
In the United States, by the way, it’s a completely different story. There, feathers are taboo and eggs are required to be washed, brushed and sprayed with chloride before they reach the shelves.
In the Netherlands, washing is prohibited because it removes the layer that keeps bacteria out, meaning the eggs keep for less time. That is also why eggs are kept refrigerated in the US but not in the Netherlands.
Also read:
- Baileys has launched a new flavour: Baileys Hazelnut
- The funniest Google food reviews
- Yuck: did you know this can be found in your cashews?
