Coatings for shell eggs improve the strength and shatter resistance of processed eggs. The coatings include food grade natural resins such as shellac, mixtures of paraffin and beeswax, and food grade polymer emulsions such as polyvinyl acetate. The coating has a thickness sufficient to increase the energy required to crush the shell egg as compared with a similar shell egg having no coating. Additionally, the coating has a thickness sufficient to prevent the shell egg from shattering when cracked open. Both the coating thickness and its inherent strength contribute to the improvement in shell strength.
