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Are eggs dairy?

We often get asked whether eggs are a dairy product. Well, eggs don't come from the mammary glands of any animal, so technically, they're not. Here's why.

Monday, January 7, 2019

Although most of us know eggs come from chickens, we've been asked a few times if eggs are dairy. 


Maybe it's because eggs are shelved in the dairy section of the supermarket. Or, because eggs are often grouped with cheese and milk in nutritional images. Like this one below. 

Milk Cheese Eggs

 
The confusion could also come from the use of similar terminology - dairy product and animal by-product. But, contrary to these common misconceptions, eggs are NOT a dairy product. 


While eggs are indeed produced by animals and therefore by definition an animal by-product, they are not a derivative of dairy products. 


A daIry product refers to a product made from the mammary gland (breast) of mammals like cows, goats and sheep, and the products make from them, like milk, cream and butter. 


At Kinnikinnick we have a variety of vegan products made with out eggs. Our bagels, KinniKritters (animal cookies), KinniToos (sandwich cream cookies), S'moreables Graham Style Crackers and our Graham Crumb and Chocolate Cookie Crumb are vegan. 

Our bread loaves, buns, muffins, waffles, donuts and pie/pizza crusts DO contain eggs. Our baking mixes are technically vegan but you DO need eggs to make the recipe.  


Please note that food labelling of GMO or not on the subject of eggs can be confusing. According to the American Egg Board, the industry group promoting egg producers, "According to USDA, eggs are not a genetically modified (GM), or bioengineered food. This includes shell eggs and eggs used for processed egg products. Only traditional breeding techniques are used to raise laying hens in the United States; neither chickens nor eggs are modified by genetic engineering. Even when a laying hen eats genetically engineered feed, any products unique to genetic engineering are destroyed by the hen’s digestive process."


Real Eggs American Egg Board

If eggs are labelled organic it means they are NOT allowed to be fed GM feed.  The USDA National Organic Program strictly prohibits GMO grains from being fed to livestock sold, represented or labeled as organic, including food products stemming from this livestock, such as eggs. Read more American Egg Board.


At Kinnikinnick, to make things very clear, we decided not to label products that use eggs as GMO free, although, legally this is allowed.