Perhaps the most striking visual characteristics of hen eggs are size and color. In German supermarkets you can find grade A brown and white eggs in the four sizes S, M, L and XL. In fact, depending on the species of chicken, the shells can actually take on many other pastel colors, such as yellow, blue, green, and pink.
The fact that only white and brown eggs are sold commercially is based on economic factors. The breeds of hens that produce eggs of a different color lay too few eggs for mass production. Therefore, special hybrids have been bred which only lay brown or white eggs. You can find more interesting facts about the color of eggs here.
Another, rather inconspicuous feature is the code printed on the eggs.
That’s what the code on chicken eggs means
Egg code required by law
The imprint on raw chicken eggs has been required by law since 2004 in accordance with European labeling rules, as part of the EU marketing standards for eggs, and represents a mark or so-called “producer code” with which the type of husbandry and origin of the eggs can be determined.
The first number of the code stands for the form of husbandry. The following two letters enable the country of origin to be identified. The final block of numbers represents the company number, with the first two digits standing for the federal state, the third to sixth digits for the company and the seventh digit for the respective barn.
The specification of the company number serves mainly as information for the responsible control authorities.
How to read the code using the example
So the following information can be gleaned from the imprint of the egg in the picture above:
Producer code: 2-DE-0917033
- Type of husbandry: floor husbandry
- Country of origin: Germany
- State Bavaria
- Operation: 1703
- Barn: 3
If you would like to find out more details about the laying farm, you can enter the details of your code here, for example, in the database of the traceability system of the Association for Controlled Alternative Animal Husbandry (KAT) and search for your farm.
However, not all raw chicken eggs need to show the producer code. Unpackaged and unsorted eggs that are sold directly to the end consumer for personal use on the farm or for sale at the front door within the production area (maximum 100 kilometers from the place of production) do not have to be labelled.