Eggs as Food
Humans and their hominid relatives have consumed eggs for millions of
years. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especially
chickens. People in Southeast Asia began harvesting chicken eggs for food
by 1500 BCE. Eggs of other birds, such as ducks and ostriches, are eaten
regularly but much less commonly than those of chickens. People may also
eat the eggs of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Fish eggs consumed as food
are known as roe or caviar. Hens and other egg-laying creatures are raised
throughout the world, and mass production of chicken eggs is a global
industry.
In 2009, an estimated 62.1 million metric tons of eggs were produced
worldwide from a total laying flock of approximately 6.4 billion hens.
There are issues of regional variation in demand and expectation, as well
as current debates concerning methods of mass production. In 2012, the
European Union banned battery husbandry of chickens.
The dried egg industry developed in the nineteenth century, before the
rise of the frozen egg industry. In 1878, a company in St. Louis, Missouri
started to transform egg yolk and egg white into a light-brown, meal-like
substance by using a drying process. The production of dried eggs
significantly expanded during World War II, for use by the United States
Armed Forces and its allies.
In 1911, the egg carton was invented by Joseph Coyle in Smithers, British
Columbia, to solve a dispute about broken eggs between a farmer in Bulkley
Valley and the owner of the Aldermere Hotel. Early egg cartons were made
of paper. Polystyrene egg cartons became popular in the latter half of the
twentieth century as they were perceived to offer better protection
especially against heat and breakage, however, by the twenty-first century
environmental considerations have led to the return of more biodegradable
paper cartons (often made of recycled material) that once again became
more widely used.