USA asks Denmark for help in the egg crisis | Sweden Herald
USA asks Denmark for help in the egg crisis | Sweden Herald
There is an egg crisis in the USA and now the authorities are asking Danish producers if they can export eggs across the Atlantic
American authorities have turned to the industry association Danish Eggs and asked about the possibility of exporting eggs to the USA, reports Danish TV2 with reference to the industry magazine Fødevarewatch. The egg shortage in the USA is due to bird flu. Over 40 million animals were put down last year and prices have been driven up, which has created a political debate. Among other things, President Donald Trump blamed egg prices on former President Joe Biden in his speech to Congress. Whether Denmark will export eggs is unclear. A number of export requirements stand in the way at present, according to Danish Eggs.
From another comment below:
From the Danish media: https://nyheder.tv2.dk/business/2025-03-14-usa-beder-danmark-om-hjaelp
There are a few additional points
Multiple European countries have gotten similar requests, not just Denmark
American egg policy requires washing the eggs while European policy prohibits this, making it highly inconvenient.
They would want assurance that America won't suddenly put tariffs on the eggs.
If america were to pay upwards of 1€ per egg, maybe they'd have a deal.
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How long does freight take against the shelf life of an eggywegg?
I know these won't be bleached so they'll last a little longer than US eggyweggs.
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An egg can easily be stored for 3-4 weeks unrefridgerated (unless you wash them with chemicals like often happens in the US, then they need to be kept in the fridge for a shorter period of time). European food law puts the maximum consume-before date of eggs at 28 days, but usually you can keep them for a while longer.
If you don't reserve cargo space in advance, shipping across the Atlantic can easily take 20-40 days, depending on how annoying customs is being. The ship itself can be there in 9 days, weather permitting. Most ships also make stops at islands and other countries, so shipping time kind of depends on how direct the route can be.
If you're sure the eggs will be used within a reasonable time frame (a week), and you pre-arrange the transport ahead of time, you can have the eggs on US soil for a week before they spoil. If you keep them refrigerated during transport probably longer.
Other options also exist. For instance, one could pre-crack the eggs in Denmark, collect the yolk/whites/scales, and transport them in dehydrated form to the US. That's good enough for bakeries and factories, which would no longer need to buy eggs from the local markets, relieving pressure for non-industrial consumption.
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Ok, thanks for the explanation.
Good point about dehydrating them, didn't even think of that
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If you refrigerate unwashed European eggs, they will last multiple months (I have kept eggs for more then 2 months), way past the expiration date on the packaging (I know because I do it constantly).
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Do you do the water test? Or just crack it open and hope for the best??
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