Kelly Turner
Dyed Easter eggs are not only a hit before the holidays – they are available in supermarkets all year round. The advantage of not having to boil and color extra eggs is offset by two serious disadvantages. Why you shouldn’t buy colored eggs from the supermarket.
When time is of the essence, dyed Easter eggs are ideal. And as a decoration for the holidays, they also do well. However, there are good reasons not to buy colored eggs from the supermarket. Especially with eggs that are sold individually, it is better to give them a wide berth!
Missing labeling on colored eggs from the supermarket
In contrast to other processed foods, the product information for eggs is noted on the box and the individual eggs using a combination of numbers and letters, e.g.: 0-DE-0235483.
The stamp on the eggs provides information about:
- the husbandry type (first digit),
- the operation (last digit),
- the country of origin (letter combination),
- the size and
- the expiry date
However, this imprint is not visible on colored eggs. This is also not prohibited by law, since there is no strict labeling requirement for processed foods. This means that with colored eggs from the supermarket it is not possible to tell from which country they were imported and how the chickens were kept. The problem: Unlike in Germany, there is no ban on conventional cage farming in other countries.
Boxes usually contain at least information about the best-before date, the manufacturer, and the dyes used. Individually sold eggs, on the other hand, only have to be provided with the best-before date.
Dyed Easter eggs contain controversial dyes
In addition to the lack of information on the country of origin and how they are kept, you should not buy colorful Easter eggs from the supermarket for another reason: They are treated with food coloring that is potentially harmful to health and which is also not noted on the individual eggs. In this case, there is no legal obligation to label E numbers.
In the European Union, only dyes that are officially approved are allowed to dye eggs. However, there are also “controversial substances” among them, as the consumer center informs. These include quinoline yellow (E104) and the azo dyes tartrazine (E102), sunset yellow S (E110), azorubine (E122), and cochineal red A (E124 A). Azor dyes are widely used because of their color intensity, although they are suspected of causing attention problems in children.
Organic eggs as a healthy alternative
If you still don’t want to do without colored eggs, you should rely on organic eggs. Manufacturers are only allowed to process them with natural dyes. In addition, with organic eggs, you can be sure that they do not come from cage farming. Also, only buy eggs that have an expiration date on them. In addition, you should always do a smell test before eating and, if in doubt, dispose of the eggs immediately.
