Egg Facts

Eggs are designed by nature to be a compact, balanced, nutritious, healthy ready packaged product. As such they are an excellent food for all ages. We often get asked questions about eggs so have listed nutritional information and frequently asked questions below. We hope you find it useful.

What are Class “A” eggs?

Under U.K. & E.U. Rules only Class “A” eggs are allowed for retail sale. A Class “A” egg must have the following properties:

  • A clean Smooth undamaged shell.
  • An air space no bigger than 6 millimetres.
  • A clear white, gelatinous and free from meat and blood spots.
  • A centrally suspended yolk.
  • No nasty odour.
  • Be clean but washing in water is not permitted.
  • Must NOT contain an embryo.
What determines egg sizes?

Egg sizes are standardised throughout the E.U. and are in 10g weight bands:

  • Very Large or XL: Over 73g
  • Large or L: 73g – 63g
  • Medium or M: 63g – 53g
  • Small or S: Under 53g

By weight an egg is approximately:

31% Yolk
58% White
11% Shell

How should you store an egg?

Eggs slowly deteriorate through storage hence the statutory E.U. limit of Best Before 28 days from date of lay.

“Lion” code eggs have a lower limit of 21 days from date of pack and no more than 4 days from pack to lay giving a maximum life of 24 – 25 days.

Usually eggs reach retail stores within 2 – 3 days of being laid.

As an egg ages it loses moisture through the shell by evaporation and the white becomes slightly runnier due to proteins denaturing within the egg. This aging can be slowed keeping egg quality better and safer, by storage in fridges or cool larders, it is not recommended to keep eggs in the kitchen, in direct sunlight in egg baskets etc.

Eggs should preferably be stored in their pack in the fridge but regardless of this should be placed vertically point end down (with the air cell to the top) and kept away from strong smells such as fish, onion, garlic etc as the shell is porous and can absorb such strong smells which can cause taints.

What is the definition of Free Range?

All our eggs are free range which means that the eggs must comply with E.U. Regulations for Free Range Eggs. Full regulations can be found on DEFRA website (www.DEFRA.gov.uk) but a concise synopsis is that they:

  • Must have daylight access to the outdoors.
  • Stocked no more than 2,500 birds per hectare (we stock at 1,000/ha as a maximum).
  • Ranging area must be mainly covered by vegetation.
How nutritious is an egg?

Eggs are an excellent source of protein, minerals and essential vitamins and can make significant contributions to healthy diets.

Protein: Eggs are an excellent source of protein for humans as the egg contains all the essential amino acids required by humans. Egg protein is found in both yolk and white (albumen). One egg can contain 12 – 15% of the daily protein requirement for an average person. It is of such high standard it is often used as a reference food with which to compare other foods.

Energy: With only trace levels of carbohydrate and sugar available an egg will contribute only 3 – 4% (76 k/calories) to the daily diet and no dietary fibre.

Vitamins: Eggs are a good source of all B vitamins and also with significant levels of vitamin A & D and some vitamin E. Lutein (a carotenoid vitamin) is also present in eggs – this is often called “the eye vitamin” because it is used to prevent eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The only vitamin missing from an egg is Vitamin C.

Minerals: Eggs are an excellent source of minerals, in particular Iodine and Phosphorus required for Thyroid and bone health, but also Zinc, Calcium Selenium and Iron.

Fat: Approximately 10% of the egg contents are fat and this fat is almost entirely contained within the yolk. The good news is that only 3% is saturated fat.

Recent advances in chicken’s nutrition mean that levels of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids can be increased within the egg to give eggs healthy to heart and brain.

Cholesterol: Whilst eggs were once regarded as unhealthy and having cholesterol levels at an unhealthy level it is now recognised that in fact this is untrue and eggs are a healthy contributor to a balanced diet.

What is the detailed Nutritional Breakdown?

Source Royal Society of Chemistry/MAFF 1991, The Composition of foods (5th Edition).

These figures are for a medium egg of approximately 58gm fresh weight

Nutritional analysis without shell
Weight 51.6g
Water 38.8g
Energy 316/76 kjoules/k cal
Protein 6.5g
Carbohydrate trace
Fat 5.6g
Inc Sat Fatty acids 1.6g
Monounsaturated F.a. 2.4g
Dietary Fibre none

Minerals and Trace Elements
Sodium 72mg
Potassium 67mg
Calcium 29mg
Phosphorus 103mg
Magnesium 6.2mg
Iron 1mg
Zinc 0.7mg
Copper 0.04mg
Iodine 27mg
Chlorine 83mg
Sulphur 93mg
Selenium 6mg

Vitamins
Vitamin A 98mg
Vitamin D 0.9mg
Vitamin E 0.57mg
Vitamin C none
Thiamine B1 0.05mg
Riboflavin B2 0.24mg
Niacin 1.94mg
Vitamin B6 0.06mg
Folate 26mg
Vitamin B12 1.3mg
Biotin 10mg
Pantothenic Acid 0.91mg

What are the health benefits of Lutein?

Lutein (a carotenoid vitamin), is naturally present in eggs. It is often called “the eye vitamin” because it is used to prevent eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Lutein is mainly found in leafy green vegetables, but egg yolks are rich in Lutein which is easily absorbed by our bodies. Our hens that produce Laid With Love eggs, are fed on marigold extract which is rich in Lutein – that’s why these eggs have a deliciously golden yolk.

Beyond the Basics…

Do you know how a double yolk egg is created? Here we’ve listed some of the most frequently asked questions about our hens and the eggs they lay:

When do hens start laying eggs?

Hens move into our production units from their rearing facilities at 16 weeks old and start laying at 19–22 weeks of age.

How many eggs will they lay?

Our hens lay an average of 310 eggs per year usually in clutches of 20 or so eggs then a day or so off between clutches.

What are the hens fed on?

Our diets are GM free, colourant free and consist of mainly (over 80%) wheat and soya, some limestone grit is added to aid digestion and provide calcium for shells. Finally a vitamin/mineral supplement is added (approximately 2-3 % by weight) to ensure optimum health and nutrition. As our birds are free range there is also a proportion of grass in the diet, eaten outside.

Do we use Growth Promoters, Drugs and Antibiotics?

Growth Promoters, Drugs and Antibiotics are never routinely used in our layer diets. Only under strict veterinary advice for specific health reasons are antibiotics used and then statutory egg withdrawal periods are observed so that no eggs are marketed whilst treatment takes place.

How fresh are your eggs?

Eggs routinely reach retailers within 2–3 days of lay, but even at “worse case” they will only be 6 days old.

Why do eggs sometimes taste of fish, garlic & onions?

Egg shells are porous and can sometimes absorb smells from other strong smelling foods in the fridge so it is not a good idea to put eggs on the back of the fridge door next to the left over onion or garlic cloves.

What is a double yolker?

Young birds when they first come into lay need time for their egg laying system to settle down so sometimes two yolks may get released together and combine in one egg. Very, very rarely you may even get 3 yolkers.

What proportion of eggs sold are free range?

Over 50% of shell egg sales are now free range with this proportion increasing all the time.