Eggs are packaged in cartons that protect the shell and carry the safe handling statement federal rules require on every carton of shell eggs that haven't been treated to destroy Salmonella. A molded pulp carton with a label is the everyday choice for markets and grocers. A clear plastic carton shows off the colors of pastured eggs. A printed carton puts your farm's name and the statement on every one, once your volume justifies the minimum order. Restaurants and bakeries take eggs in flats inside a case, with the label on the case. Whatever the package, eggs go into the cooler, because a store holds them at 45 °F or below. Some states have rules on reusing cartons from other brands, so check yours. In the example below, a Tennessee egg farm prices four options: 15 to 43 cents a dozen. Below are the options, the label, the example, and a free cost calculator.
The short version
- Every carton of untreated shell eggs carries the safe handling statement, set off in a box.
- If the statement is inside the lid, "Keep Refrigerated" goes on the outside.
- Markets and grocers: a molded pulp carton with a label.
- Pastured eggs' colors: a clear plastic carton.
- Your name on every carton: a printed carton, after a big minimum order.
- Restaurants and bakeries: flats in a 15-dozen case, labeled on the case.
- Keep eggs cold; a store holds them at 45 °F or below.
- TaroStack keeps each day's eggs as a lot with its pack date, sold oldest first. More below.
The options
| Option | Protects the shell | Shows the eggs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molded pulp carton with a label | Yes | No | Markets, grocers |
| Clear plastic carton with a label | Yes | Yes | Pastured and colored eggs |
| Printed pulp carton | Yes | No | Steady volume, your brand |
| Flats in a 15-dozen case | In the case | Yes | Restaurants, bakeries |
The label
The safe handling statement, under 21 CFR 101.17(h), goes on every carton of shell eggs not processed to destroy Salmonella, on the principal display panel, the information panel or inside the lid, set off in a box; if it's inside, "Keep Refrigerated" goes on the outside. A store holds eggs at 45 °F or below (21 CFR 115.50). Your state's egg law covers grades, sizes, pack dates and whether cartons can be reused; how grades and sizes work is in egg grading, and the licenses in egg business license. This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: four options for an egg farm
Clover Hollow Farm, the made-up egg farm in Franklin, Tennessee, I use in these examples, packs about 175 dozen a week from 400 pastured hens, for a market, an egg share, a grocer and a bakery:
| Option | Parts | Per dozen | 175 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molded pulp carton with a label | Carton 30¢, label | $0.35 | $60.88 |
| Clear plastic carton with a label | Carton 38¢, label | $0.43 | $75.02 |
| Printed pulp carton | Carton 42¢, date sticker | $0.43 | $75.84 |
| 15-dozen case with flats, per dozen | Flats, case, label | $0.15 | $26.85 |
Market, egg share and grocer eggs go in pulp cartons with a label; the bakery gets flats in a case. A printed carton costs 8 cents more a dozen and needs 5,000 at a time, about seven months of eggs, so it waits. On a grocer dozen at $5.25 that leaves 46 cents, the carton choice is a real share of the profit. How the eggs are priced is in how to price eggs, and the business in egg business plan.
Get the calculator
Download the egg packaging calculator. Two sheets: components, each part of each option with its pack price, units, how many a dozen uses and waste; and compare, each option's cost per dozen and per week at your volume, with notes. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
Every day's eggs have a pack date, the grocer wants the freshest, and the bakery takes the rest. A carton count doesn't say which day's eggs are in the cooler or which went to the grocer.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each day's eggs as a lot with its pack date, sold oldest first.
Each day a lot. A day's collection is a batch with a lot and its pack and best-before dates, and lot labels print for the cartons and cases.
Oldest first. First-expired-first-out is the default, so the oldest eggs go out first, and a forecast shows what will expire unsold.
Cartons in the recipe. The carton and label are items in a dozen's recipe, so every day's eggs use them up at the price you paid.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| The pack date on a carton | Written by hand | From the day's lot |
| Which eggs go out first | Remembered | First-expired-first-out |
| Cartons left | Counted when you run out | Used by every day's eggs |
Lots, expiry, recipes and batches are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.