Ines

One coating, two systems, and washing is the irreversible step between them.

Neither is wrong. They are two coherent systems that solve the same problem in opposite ways, and the difference comes down to washing.

An egg comes out of the hen with a thin natural coating on the shell, the cuticle or bloom. It seals the pores and is a genuine barrier against bacteria getting in.

In some countries, eggs are washed and sanitised before sale. That removes surface contamination and it also removes the cuticle. Without it the shell is porous, so the egg must then be kept refrigerated for the rest of its life to stop anything getting in and multiplying.

In others, eggs are not washed, so the cuticle stays intact and the egg is safe at room temperature for a reasonable period. Instead of washing, those systems typically focus on preventing contamination at the source: flock vaccination and controls on the farm.

So one approach cleans the outside and then needs the cold chain. The other keeps the barrier and needs healthy flocks. Both work; they are just not interchangeable, which is why each looks reckless from inside the other.

That is also why the packaging advice differs by country, and why following the advice printed on the box you actually bought is the correct answer.