While most eggs are considered unsafe to eat when raw, there’s a scientifically interesting reason eggs are generally safe to eat raw in Japan.
While most eggs are considered unsafe to eat when raw, there’s a scientifically interesting reason eggs are generally safe to eat raw in Japan.
That is nice, but it is not the main reason for safer eggs in Japan compared to the States. The biggest difference is that eggs in Japan are usually not refrigerated either in transit, or the store, or even at home. There are a number of benefits from not refrigerating your eggs. They have longer shelf life. They never “sweat” on the outside of the shell, resulting in an environment for bacteria growth. They don’t take up space in your small Japanese fridge. But, if you buy eggs that are already refrigerated, you need to keep them refrigerated.
Commercial eggs in America must be refrigerated because the chickens are kept in unhealthy unsanitary conditions. The eggs are filthy and contaminated with salmonella (and other fatal bacteria), thus they must be washed to remove the salmonella. Washing the eggs removes a trans-membrane that normally protects the egg. As such the washed eggs must be refrigerated.
I have a small chicken farming operation (for our homestead) and we don’t need to refrigerate our eggs because they don’t need to be washed/refrigerated - our coop is properly cleaned and eggs are collected multiple times a day to ensure they stay clean.