How to store eggs safely in your restaurant: temperatures, shelf life, FIFO, and mistakes to avoid. Practical compliance guide.
Eggs are one of the most commonly used ingredients in professional kitchens - and one of the most sensitive. Poor storage exposes your customers to salmonella and your business to regulatory action.
At Galette, my creperie in Paris, we use several hundred eggs every week. Every egg goes into our crepes, fillings, and sauces. A single storage mistake can compromise an entire day's production.
This guide gives you clear, actionable rules for storing eggs safely - in line with EU food safety regulations.
Over 2,000 food service professionals use BackResto to track temperatures and traceability daily. This guide is built on their real-world experience.
Egg storage in food service is covered by EU regulations. Here are the essential points you need to know.
The best-before date for shell eggs is set at 28 days after the laying date. Beyond this, eggs are no longer considered fresh and should not be used in commercial food service.
This limit is defined by EU Regulation EC No 589/2008 and reinforced by national food safety authorities across Europe.
Here is the rule that surprises many chefs:
Why the difference? The eggshell has a natural cuticle - a protective coating that prevents bacteria from entering. As long as the egg stays at a stable temperature, this protection works. But a temperature change (warm to cold, then cold to warm) causes condensation on the shell - and that moisture enables bacteria to penetrate.
This is why regulations require that once refrigerated, eggs must stay refrigerated. If you receive eggs at ambient temperature, put them in the fridge immediately and do not take them back out.
Preparations containing raw eggs (homemade mayonnaise, chocolate mousse, tiramisu) have very short shelf lives:
| Preparation | Maximum shelf life | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Homemade mayonnaise | 24 hours | 0 °C to 4 °C |
| Mousse, egg-based creams | 24 hours | 0 °C to 4 °C |
| Crepe batter / pancake mix | 24 to 48 hours | 0 °C to 4 °C |
| Peeled hard-boiled eggs | 24 hours | 0 °C to 4 °C |
| Opened liquid egg products | Per manufacturer's label | 0 °C to 4 °C |
These durations follow EU food hygiene best practice guidelines for commercial food service.
Shell eggs are the most common in kitchens. Here are the storage rules:
A point often forgotten: never store eggs near strong-smelling products (onions, fish, aged cheese). The shell is porous and absorbs odours.
Liquid egg products (pasteurised liquid eggs, egg whites in cartons, yolks in bottles) are a common alternative in food service. Their storage follows different rules:
If you crack fresh eggs to prepare a mix (for omelettes, crepes), that mix must be used within 24 hours and stored between 0 °C and 4 °C.
This is the most critical point. Raw egg preparations are the leading cause of foodborne illness linked to eggs:
To reduce risk, many professionals use pasteurised egg products for these preparations. This is recommended by food safety authorities.
Safe egg storage comes down to one principle: maintain a stable temperature between 0 °C and 4 °C. Any fluctuation creates risk.
A rise in temperature - even temporary - has two effects:
A fridge opened too frequently, an overloaded cold room, or an equipment failure can push your eggs into the danger zone without you noticing.
Food safety management plans commonly require daily temperature logging for all refrigeration equipment, as part of HACCP monitoring obligations under EU Regulation (EC) 852/2004. For eggs, this means:
At Galette, we used to do our readings manually - a thermometer, a notebook, and hoping nobody forgets. The problem: people always forget at the worst times (Friday dinner rush, nobody logged the temperature).
With connected sensors, readings are automatic and continuous. If your cold room temperature rises above the threshold, you get an immediate alert - even at night, even on weekends.
BackResto offers 24/7 connected temperature sensors that monitor your equipment constantly and automatically generate your temperature log records.
FIFO (First In, First Out) is the golden rule of stock management in food service. For eggs, it is especially important because freshness decreases every day.
In practice:
Every batch of eggs received must be identifiable. Note on the packaging or a label:
This information is essential in case of a product recall or health investigation. A good traceability system lets you quickly trace back to the source of a problem.
When you receive an egg delivery, systematically check:
Document every delivery. BackResto includes a delivery control module that lets you record these checks directly from your phone.
Some common kitchen habits are actually serious food safety mistakes.
This is the most widespread mistake. Washing an egg with water destroys the protective cuticle on the shell - the natural thin layer that prevents bacteria from entering.
A washed egg becomes much more vulnerable to contamination. If an egg is visibly dirty, it is better to not use it rather than wash it.
An egg with a cracked shell has potentially been exposed to bacteria. Even if the inner membrane appears intact, the risk is real. Discard it systematically.
Combining eggs from different deliveries in the same container makes traceability impossible. If a problem arises, you will not be able to identify which batch is affected.
Taking eggs out of the fridge for service, then putting them back after - this is the temperature cycle that promotes condensation and contamination. Only take out the quantity you need for the current service.
The shell is porous. Eggs stored next to fish or onions will absorb those odours, which can alter the taste of your preparations.
When in doubt, the rule is simple: throw them away. The cost of an egg is negligible compared to the risk of food poisoning.
Throw away an egg if:
The water test is a useful indicator but does not replace proper traceability. An egg that sinks may still be expired if the best-before date has passed.
Proper egg storage requires rigour - but not necessarily time. With BackResto, your temperature readings are automatic, your deliveries are traced from your phone, and your HACCP records generate themselves.
Try BackResto free for 30 days - no commitment, no credit card required.
Eggshell is not dangerous on its own, but it can carry salmonella on its surface. This is why you should never crack an egg on the edge of the bowl containing your preparation. Use a separate container to crack your eggs, then incorporate them. Wash your hands after handling shells.
In food service, the answer is clear: in the fridge, between 0 °C and 4 °C. Even though eggs can be stored at ambient temperature before purchase, once you receive them in your kitchen they must go into cold storage and stay there. The critical point is to never alternate warm/cold, as condensation promotes bacterial penetration.
Shell eggs can be kept refrigerated until their best-before date (28 days after laying). In practice, it is recommended to use them within 10 days of delivery for optimal freshness. Raw egg preparations (mayonnaise, mousse) must be consumed within 24 hours.
You cannot freeze eggs in their shells - they would burst. However, you can freeze beaten eggs (whole, or whites and yolks separately) in airtight containers. Note the freezing date and use them within 4 months. Pasteurised egg products freeze well if their packaging allows it.
If your fridge temperature exceeds 4 °C for more than 2 hours, the eggs should be considered compromised. Check the temperature as soon as possible and document the incident in your HACCP records. This is the kind of situation where connected sensors make the difference - you are alerted immediately instead of discovering the problem the next morning.