Finding a small red or reddish-brown speck in an egg can be alarming. But “a bl00d spot occurs when a small bl00d vessel in the hen’s ovary or oviduct ruptures during ovulation.” Sometimes it’s a “meat spot,” a tiny piece of tissue from the hen. These spots are normal and natural—they are “not embryos,” “not a sign of fertilization,” and “not a sign of infection.”

Blood or meat spots are more common in brown eggs. Modern egg production uses candling, shining light through eggs to remove visible defects. Still, tiny spots often slip through. Factors like “the hen’s age,” “Vitamin A deficiency,” genetics, or stress can increase the chances of spotting them.

Eggs with blood spots are safe if fresh and properly stored. They “do not change the nutritional value,” “do not increase the risk of illness,” and can be removed if unappealing. Always follow normal egg safety rules: discard eggs that “have a foul smell,” “look green, gray, or unusually fluorescent,” or are slimy or leaking.

You should throw away eggs if the spot is very large or mixed throughout, if the egg smells rotten, has unusual texture, or the shell was cracked and unrefrigerated. These indicate spoilage or contamination, not the spot itself.

Blood spots are not embryos—“commercial store-bought eggs are almost always unfertilized.” Nutritionally, they contain tiny amounts of hemoglobin and iron but offer no special health benefit. Most people remove them simply for appearance. Those red specks may look alarming, but they are “just a reminder that eggs are a natural product, not a lab-manufactured one.” They are normal, safe to eat, and harmless.