Should we refrigerate eggs and milk? Why don’t they do it in other countries?

The simple answer to why milk and eggs need not be refrigerated in many countries is that the products undergo different pasteurization processes. Foodborne illnesses, including Salmonella, affect millions of people each year in the US, and the laws regulating pasteurization could explain why the issue is so much more pervasive in the US than in Europe.

Different pasteurization techniques

In the United States, milk is pasteurized using the “high-temperature short-time” (HTST) method, which kills bacteria and other microorganisms by heating liquid for thirty seconds and cooling it immediately. In contrast, many European countries use “ultra-high temperature processing” (UHT), where the liquid is heated much more rapidly for a shorter time, sterilizing the product so well that it can go unrefrigerated for six months. However, the milk must be registered once the container has been opened. The different methods give the milk a different flavor overall, with milk in the United States having much more left in it as far less is burned off compared to milk that has undergone UHT.

What is raw milk?

Outside the United States, milk is still pasteurized, and although the method is different, the final product should not be confused with raw milk.

Raw milk comes directly from the cow and has not undergone pasteurization. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns against consuming raw milk because it “can lead to serious illness” and “is linked to many preventable foodborne illnesses and outbreaks every year.” Illness is often linked to bacterial infections, including Campylobacter, E. coli, or Salmonella, as well as viruses and dangerous parasites.

There are only eleven states where raw milk can be sold in stores:

What about eggs?

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), all eggs sold in the US for consumption must undergo a pasteurization process, similar to milk, to kill off Salmonella. The 1970 Egg Products Inspection Act established legal standards for the pasteurization of eggs.

In addition to pasteurizing eggs in the US, producers wash them, which removes the protective coating that allows people in other countries to keep their eggs out of the fridge. The decision to wash eggs can be traced back more than one hundred years, and the trend initially started because the coating was seen as dirty and unhygienic.

In Europe, food regulations mandate the vaccination of all egg-laying hens against Salmonella, which significantly minimizes the possibility of food-borne diseases. The EU reports only 91,000 cases of Salmonella annually. On the other hand, in the United States, which has less than half the population of Europe, more than a million cases are recorded every year. Pew Research reported in 2018 that the United States had made no progress in bringing down the number of Salmonella cases in twenty years, a sign that expanded regulations to protect the public may be needed.