Are Eggs Dairy?

If you picture eggs when you think “dairy,” you’re not alone. But eggs are not dairy.

Dairy products are made from milk. Milk only comes from mammals like goats, sheep and cows. Birds are not mammals, so they do not produce milk. They lay eggs.

Why all the confusion?

Eggs are commonly located near dairy products in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. They may also be portrayed next to dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt in pictures of farm-fresh foods.

Such an image might be one of few sources someone sees to understand where their food comes from. That’s because each year, more Americans move away from farmland counties to urban areas and have fewer opportunities to understand agriculture.

Want to understand more about farming? To start, visit a dairy farm or read about farm life by following some farmers on Facebook.

And remember: Cows do not lay eggs! They do, however, give delicious and nutritious milk.