Colored eggs from the supermarket: You need to know this about the colorful Easter eggs

Colored eggs from the supermarket are practical in so far that they are already cooked and colored - a welcome time-saver for many consumers at Easter. After all, colored eggs are part of the tradition of Easter. We have summarized what you need to know about the finished product for you.

Colored eggs from the supermarket - little information on the package

In the past, the colored eggs were only found on the supermarket shelf around Easter. They are now available all year round.

• As practical as the already cooked eggs are, a lot of information is missing on the packaging.
• While raw eggs must be labeled and proof of origin and type of animal husbandry printed on them, the colorful Easter eggs on the shelf do not have to have any of these labels. The reason for this is that they are no longer regarded as "eggs", but as "processed egg products". The pack only shows the manufacturer and the expiry date.
• So you have no control over where the eggs come from and whether they come from organic, free-range, ground or cage farming. However, you can usually assume that the cheaper caged eggs will be used.
• An exception are colored eggs, the packaging of which has the "KAT" seal. This seal is awarded by the "Association for Controlled Alternative Forms of Animal Husbandry" and guarantees that the eggs come from soil, free range or organic farming.
• The eggs are not really colored evenly, but they shine beautifully. This is because the manufacturers seal the eggs with a mixture of shellac and palm wax after cooking and coloring. By the way, colors and seals are approved as food additives and therefore harmless.

Easter eggs from the supermarket - shelf life and storage

The colorful Easter eggs from the supermarket are often very long-lasting.

• An egg is naturally packaged perfectly: the shell protects the inside from germs. The durability is further extended by the seal described in the first paragraph. The fact that the eggs are cooked is also critical to their shelf life.
• However, cracks can form in the bowl when cooking - ideal entry points for germs. You can see this very easily with the colored eggs from the supermarket: When peeling, you will often find color on the egg itself - here the shell is torn during cooking, so that color could get inside the egg.
• For this reason, the eggs should also be kept in the refrigerator. If the shell is damaged, the germ load is kept low by cooling. Since the eggs are not on the refrigerated shelf in the supermarket, a look at the best-before date is also worthwhile. If you keep the shelf life as long as possible, you can assume that the eggs have not been stored so long without refrigeration.
• Even if the colored eggs from the supermarket are practical, coloring Easter eggs yourself is a nice tradition. The best tips for this can be found in another article.