The wastage is three times more than in 2008 and comes at a cost of £139 million, according to the campaigning organisation Too Good To Go.
The Food Standards Agency has said that eggs can be safely eaten up to two days past the date provided. This is provided that they are cooked to the point that the yolk and white are solid.
Research by Too Good to Go found that about one in three people relied on best before dates and fewer than one in four knew how to check an egg by placing it in a bowl of water.
If eggs sink to the bottom and lay flat on their sides, they’re very fresh. If they’re less fresh but still good to eat, they’ll stand on one end at the bottom of the bowl. If they float to the surface, they’re no longer fresh enough to eat.
Jamie Crummie, co-founder of the group, said: “If you¹ve been throwing your eggs in the bin based on the dates on the box, you’ve probably been wasting perfectly good food.
“Food waste is a huge problem, a third of all food produced globally is wasted. Small changes from each of us can make a big difference.”
Figures from the British Egg Industry revealed that retail sales reached 7.2 billion last year, a 4% rise on the previous 12 months.
Britain throws away an estimated 10.2 million tonnes of good food a year, with an estimated value of £20 billion - the equivalent of £300 per person.
Milk, bread and fresh produce are also thrown away earlier than necessary despite improvements in storage and preparation that make them last longer.