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Checking eggs for bloodspots is one of the hallowed practises in the kosher kitchen. What exactly are we looking for and why?
In Parshas Re’eh we read about the Torah’s prohibition on eating blood. Contrary to popular opinion, the problem of bloodspots on eggs has nothing to do with this prohibition of eating blood.
The concern is that the bloodspot is the beginning of the development of a chick. Until a chick hatches, it is Biblically forbidden as a Sheretz (crawling creatures forbidden by the Torah). This concern only applies to an egg that is fertilised.
A fertilised egg develops over a period of 21 days. It begins as a small bloodspot that starts to spread, ultimately developing into a chick. If the bloodspot is due to fertilisation, the entire egg is forbidden.
If the bloodspot is not due to the forming of a chick, the egg, including the blood itself, is permitted on the Biblical level. Blood from an egg is not forbidden, just like the blood of a fish. The Shulchan Aruch rules that the bloodspot itself is nonetheless Rabbincally forbidden because of Maris Ayin. The bloodspot may be removed and the rest of the egg may be consumed.
How to tell if the bloodspot is due to fertilisation or not?
The Shulchan Aruch gives signs how to tell whether the bloodspot in an egg is indicative of fertilisation. According to the Mechaber, only a bloodspot found on the yolk is a sign of a fertilised egg. A bloodspot on the albumen (the white) does not signify a fertilised egg.
The Ram”o brings an opinion stating the opposite, that egg on the albumen is problematic. He concludes that we must act stringently both ways. Whether the blood is found in the yolk or the albumen the entire egg must be discarded.
All of the above pertains to eggs which may have been fertilised by a rooster. In previous times when eggs were taken from farms where roosters and chickens freely roam, this Halacha concern was very real. The same would apply today when buying eggs directly from a farm or roadside farm-stall.
Fertilised Eggs for Sale
In a very recent phenomenon, one can even find fertilised eggs being sold for consumption. Whilst broadly refuted as myth, proponents claim that they are healthier and tastier. Eggs that are known to be fertilised are clearly forbidden.
Checking
In truth, for both caged and free-range eggs there is no technical Halachic requirement to check for blood. This is because the majority of eggs do not have blood. The Torah only requires us to check in for commonly occurring problems. The concern of bloodspots is even less today, as the eggs are screened to remove any that may have bloodspots before they are packaged.
Nonetheless the Shulchan Aruch rules that the established Minhag is to check eggs when cooking. However in cases where this would not be practical e.g. when no light is available or when boiling or roasting whole eggs, one need not check.
For this reason we may also allow a child to check egg, provided that they understand what they are looking for.
Some Poskim are lenient and do not require checking when very large quantities are being used e.g. catering or factory production settings although accepted practise is to check all eggs.
Note: Only red or black spots present a problem in either type of egg. Brown or deep orange/yellow spots are kosher, whether on the yolk or in the white.
Caged or Battery Eggs
In the latter half of the previous century, eggs began to be produced ‘industrially’, where the chickens are kept in cages in large warehouse-type structures. In caged or battery egg farming there are no roosters present and therefore there is no possibility of fertilisation.
Since there is no concern of the eggs being fertilised, technically a bloodspot found in a caged egg may be removed and the rest of the egg may be used. It makes no difference where the bloodspot is found. This is a commonly held view by Poskim, including Harav Ovadiah Yosef.
The Igros Moshe writes that nonetheless one should preserve the minhag of throwing out the entire egg. His logic is that eggs are not expensive and we don’t want the Minhag to become forgotten. Furthermore there is always a slight chance that an egg from another source may have become mixed in.
Another Halachic difference would be in a case where a bloodspot was found in an egg after it was cooked. If there is concern that the egg could have been fertilised, the food would be forbidden and the pot would need to be Kashered. For a cage-egg, only the blood that was noticed would need to be discarded. The rest of the food would be fine and the Keilim would remain kosher.
The Free-Range Phenomenon
With growing influence from animal rights movements and a general move to more organic foods, free-range eggs are becoming widely available and more common and grocery stores are phasing-out the sale of ‘cage-eggs’.
So how does this new development change our status quo in Halacha? The question really depends on what qualifies as a free-range egg.
In Australian Consumer Law, a free-range egg is defined where the chickens have "meaningful and regular access to the outdoors" and that outdoor stocking densities are no more than 10,000 birds per hectare.
Eggs produced in these conditions still do not have the possibility of being fertilised and would be treated the same as caged-eggs in Halacha. But some supermarkets and organic stores sell completely free-range eggs. These come from small boutique producers and farms where roosters and hens roam together. Usually this will be labelled on the box and will certainly be reflected in the price.
The presence of blood in these types of eggs is potentially due to fertilisation and will be subject to the stricter Halachos discussed above.
- Y.D. 61:1 and 61”7
- ibid
- Yabia Omer 3 Y.D. 2
- Igros Moshe Y.D. 1:36
- Many Gedolei Yisroel would still check hardboiled eggs for bloodspots. Rav Moshe Feinstein would still open hard-boiled eggs to check the surface of the yolk for bloodspots.
