Don't Expect Real Whole Eggs At These Popular Coffee Chains

For many, the morning rush means there's no time to make coffee or breakfast, but it's a good excuse to treat yourself to one of the best fast-food breakfast sandwiches at a coffee chain on the way to work. However, for all the convenience you may be getting at your preferred coffee chain, you may be sacrificing quality: It turns out that the "eggs" in the breakfast sandwiches served at Dunkin' and Starbucks, two of the most popular coffee chains, really aren't just eggs.

While "whole eggs" (or "egg whites and egg yolks") are among the ingredients in Starbucks' and Dunkin's breakfast sandwiches, that's only part of what's contained in their egg patties. Many food producers use pasteurized and processed egg products rather than eggs, which makes for easier handling and storage for restaurants. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service defines "egg products" as "eggs that are removed from their shells for processing... including breaking eggs, filtering, mixing, stabilizing, blending, pasteurizing, cooling, freezing, drying, and packaging." And you may be eating them regularly.

Starbucks locations don't house full kitchens, so they usually don't have the capability of preparing real eggs in house. Instead, its premade egg patties are created for maximum shelf life. So, while that bacon, egg, and Gouda breakfast sandwich at Starbucks may sound yummy, the ingredients comprising its frittata egg patties do not. Aside from whole eggs, the patties also contain water, soybean oil, unmodified corn starch, xanthan gum, citric acid, and more — that's why they're one of nine menu items you don't want to order at Starbucks. Similarly, the patties at Dunkin' do contain egg whites and yolks, but also soybean oil, water, natural flavor, salt, and a number of stabilizers and preservatives. Will these ingredients hurt you? Not necessarily. But they certainly affect taste and can create a somewhat unpleasant texture.

What chains, coffee or otherwise, should you choose instead for a breakfast sandwich with real eggs? McDonald's breakfast items that use round eggs are made with real, freshly cracked whole eggs, though its scrambled and folded eggs are not fresh. Tim Hortons, the beloved Canadian donut-and-coffee chain with nearly 1,000 stores in the United States, uses freshly cracked, real eggs in its breakfast sandwiches too. Panera Bread and Wendy's also proudly serve real eggs to guests, though Panera Bread, like McDonald's, doesn't use them in everything. So, next time you're in a rush and decide to grab a quick breakfast sandwich, you might want to plan your route around a new favorite chain.