Have you ever wondered why grocery stores do not sell duck eggs? I guess you do, for most of the eggs you’ll see in the grocery stores are chicken eggs. But why don’t they sell duck eggs? Is it because consumers think of duck eggs as unhealthy? Or is it because consumers are used to eating chicken eggs and don’t want duck eggs? Consumers seem to have a propensity to view duck eggs negatively. Hence, sellers of eggs would rather sell chicken eggs than duck eggs.
Rumors might have something to do with the indisposition of consumers to buy duck eggs. In the past, rumors had circulated that duck eggs carried an unpleasant and strong taste. Moreover, some stories had associated duck eggs with salmonella contamination. And these rumors might have stuck around in the minds of many consumers.
Another bias against duck eggs might have stemmed from the habit of ducks scavenging in the muck. Such a sight of ducks will unlikely alter the mindsets of consumers soon. For this reason, the demand for duck eggs will not increase soon; thus, grocery stores will not likely sell duck eggs soon.
Reasons Stores or Supermarkets Don’t Sell Eggs of Ducks
As mentioned above, there are succinct reasons behind the lack of duck egg stock in most grocery stores. Some of these reasons are based on unfounded rumors, which greatly muddled consumers’ ideas about duck eggs. Below are some of these reasons:
Duck Eggs Are Not Produced Widely
One reason duck eggs can’t be produced on a large scale is that ducks lay their eggs irregularly. Ducks, for example, lay eggs according to season, and it may take several days or weeks until the subsequent laying of eggs of ducks. On the other hand, chickens lay their eggs almost every day. As such, you can produce their eggs on an industrial scale.
Although sociable, ducks will never last long on an industrial farm. They can’t stand overcrowding and antibiotic dosing. Thus, you will only see small or medium-scale productions of duck eggs. Such medium-scale production of duck eggs can’t saturate the market and supply all grocery stores with duck eggs.
However, there are Asian countries that produce duck eggs in large quantities and sell them to a broad market. But in the United States, duck egg production is limited to small and medium-scale production.
Duck Eggs Aren’t as Popular as Chicken Eggs
Due to unfounded rumors associated with duck eggs, consumers’ prevalent view towards eating duck eggs is quite negative.
Besides, in some countries, you can be legally liable if you provide duck eggs to other people. Given this lousy perception of duck egg consumption, many consumers avoid consuming duck eggs.
Duck Eggs Have a Different Taste
If you’re used to eating chicken eggs, you might find the taste of duck eggs unfamiliar and strong. As such, you might strongly dislike the duck egg’s taste. Duck eggs carry different levels of fat and lipid. As such, the flavor and texture of the duck eggs distinctly vary from that of the chicken eggs.
Besides, some people say that duck eggs cause them to have upset stomachs after eating. For this reason, many individuals confine the use of duck eggs for baking purposes.
Duck Eggs are Expensive
Duck eggs are more expensive than chicken eggs. This higher price of duck eggs over chicken eggs is due to several reasons. First, it is not widely produced compared to chicken eggs. It is rare to find duck eggs in grocery stores.
Besides, most vendors of duck eggs sell their eggs to go-betweens, who then sell them in bulk. So, the middlemen must put the duck eggs with a higher markup to cover their expenses.
Additionally, there are only very few storage facilities for duck eggs. Moreover, the USDA also regulates the selling of duck eggs. With the strict regulations in the production of saleable duck eggs, not many farmers could comply with these regulations.
Where Can You Buy Duck Eggs?
Due to the abovementioned reasons why duck eggs are seldom seen and sold alongside chicken eggs, you might find it hard to find duck eggs for your consumption. Nonetheless, you may find duck eggs in some health food markets and grocery stores. But if you want to make sure you can buy duck eggs, it will be best to go to food stores that help niche communities like farmers. You can also find some stores that sell duck eggs and goose eggs together. You can also try to buy from farm-to-door suppliers.
Conclusion
If you are a duck farmer and want to leverage your duck eggs sale, you might find it challenging to increase your sale of duck eggs. The reason is that the perception of duck egg-eating will not change in the coming years. Besides, consumers’ taste buds are geared more toward chicken egg consumption to the detriment of the duck egg-raising industry.
Yet, you can try selling duck eggs online, for there will be people who would love to eat duck eggs. Online, you will also find duck egg sellers who sell anywhere in the U.S.
