Why Your Trader Joe’s Eggs Might Actually Hatch
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Egg prices across the country are soaring, and it's impacting everything from our weekly grocery runs to the cost of an omelette at Waffle House. According to federal data, the average cost for a dozen eggs reached nearly five dollars this January—the highest price in a decade.
The limited supply due to the growing avian flu crisis means shelves are more sparse than usual—so shoppers are reaching for egg varieties they don't typically buy. And one particular egg offering at Trader Joe's can make a lot more than just breakfast.
TikTok user @thecaliforniahome recently posted a video of her buying a carton of fertilized chicken eggs at Trader Joe's. After she took them home, she placed them in an incubator and actually hatched chicks!
As cute as the newborn chicks are, we’re stuck on the fact that Trader Joe’s sells fertilized eggs! And in nearly identical packaging as the standard eggs! Users online responded to @thecaliforniahome's TikTok with a mix of awe and disgust. "Now I can't eat eggs," one commenter wrote. Another user replied, "Please say sike."
We immediately rushed to our refrigerator to check that we didn’t inadvertently buy them at our local TJ’s. But we couldn't help but wonder why they would sell fertile eggs in the first place? Why would people even want to buy them? And are they safe to consume in the midst of the bird flu crisis? We decided to investigate.
What Are Fertile Eggs?
Trader Joe’s describes their fertile eggs as ones that were “laid by hens in contact with roosters.” That doesn’t necessarily mean every egg in the carton can hatch. Of the dozen that were incubated in the TikTok, only eight yielded chicks.
And to dispel any misconceptions: you’re not going to crack a fertile egg for an omelet and discover an embryo in the pan. Even if an egg is successfully fertilized, it’s refrigerated right away and the incubation process is halted. The only way you could theoretically end up with a home grown batch of chickens is by carefully incubating them at around 100°F.
What Do Fertile Eggs Taste Like?
If the idea of eating a fertilized egg makes you squeamish, don't worry: fertilized eggs taste the same as infertile ones. They even look the same, save for the germinal spot on the yolk. When unfertilized, the germinal spot is a small white dot; the presence of male cells gives the spot a clear center and white rim.
Its impact on the flavor and texture of your egg is negligible. According to the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, "The proportion of these to the total egg is so small that it is impossible to detect chemical differences between fertile and infertile eggs."
What Are The Health Benefits Of Fertile Eggs?
Many fertile egg fans reach for this variety because of the condition of the farm. Often times, cage-free and free-range hens are accompanied by a rooster for added security from external predators. This allows the chickens to roam freely and eat grass, rather than the grain-based feed used in commercial egg production. The resulting pasture-raised eggs have higher levels of vitamins A and E as well as fatty acids, according to Pennsylvania State University.
But it's the hen's diet that ultimately impacts the nutrition, not the fertilization. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says there is no discernible nutritional difference between fertilized and infertile eggs. Regardless of which eggs you pick up at the store, you're getting a reliable source of protein and healthy fats.
And for that same reason, the risk of contracting bird flu from fertile eggs is the same as any other egg—low, that is. Health experts recommend fully cooking your eggs to minimize the spread of bacteria and viral particles that can cause foodborne illness, from Salmonella to H5N1.
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