By Cole Lauterbach/Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – If your grocery store breaks one egg in a carton, they used to have to throw the whole carton out. With the new year, that changes.

State Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard, said the bill he and a bipartisan host of lawmakers sponsored approaches Illinois’ laws about egg carton consolidation with some common sense.

“When any egg was broken in a dozen eggs, you had to throw out the whole lot. With this bill, we do something called lot consolidation,” Breen said. “It’s already being done in over 40 other states. Illinois eggs that our producers made and were being shipped to other states were consolidated. We couldn’t do it here at home.”

Breen said the burdensome regulation being rolled back is a small step in a long walk to make Illinois more competitive of a marketplace for businesses.

“The process of fixing the broken regulatory environment in Illinois has to happen one step at a time,” Breen said. “This bill is symbolic of the broader fight to make Illinois a more business-friendly place, which will make it a more consumer-friendly place.”

The new law will still have consumer safeguards against spoiled eggs, but Breen said it will hopefully drive consumer prices down in saving eggs.