‘Egg products’ are defined in Regulation (EC) 853/2004 (this opens in a new tab) as "processed products resulting from the processing of eggs, or of various components or mixtures of eggs, or from the further processing of such processed products."
Requirements for establishments
Food business operators must ensure that establishments for the manufacture of egg products are constructed, laid out and equipped so as to ensure separation of the following operations:
- washing, drying and disinfecting dirty eggs, where carried out;
- breaking eggs, collecting their contents and removing parts of shells and membranes; and
- operations other than those referred to in points 1 and 2.
Raw materials for the manufacture of egg products
Food business operators must ensure that raw materials used to manufacture egg products comply with the following requirements.
- The shells of eggs used in the manufacture of egg products must be fully developed and contain no breaks. However, cracked eggs may be used for the manufacture of egg products if the establishment of production or a packing centre delivers them directly to a processing establishment, where they must be broken as soon as possible.
- Liquid egg obtained in an establishment approved for that purpose may be used as raw material. Liquid egg must be obtained in accordance with the requirements of points 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 of Part III, Chapter II of Section X of Regulation (EC) 853/2004 (this opens in a new tab) i.e., Special hygiene requirements for the manufacture of egg products
Special hygiene requirements for the manufacture of egg products
Food business operators must ensure that all operations are carried out in such a way as to avoid any contamination
during production, handling and storage of egg products, in particular by ensuring compliance with the following
requirements.
- Eggs must not be broken unless they are clean and dry.
- Eggs must be broken in a manner that minimises contamination, in particular by ensuring adequate separation from other operations. Cracked eggs must be processed as soon as possible.
- Eggs other than those of hens, turkeys or guinea fowl must be handled and processed separately. All equipment must be cleaned and disinfected before processing of hens’, turkeys’ and guinea fowls’ eggs is resumed.
- Egg contents may not be obtained by the centrifuging or crushing of eggs, nor may centrifuging be used to obtain the remains of egg whites from empty shells for human consumption.
- After breaking, each particle of the egg product must undergo processing as quickly as possible to eliminate microbiological hazards or to reduce them to an acceptable level. A batch that has been insufficiently processed may immediately undergo processing again in the same establishment, if this processing renders it fit for human consumption. When a batch is found to be unfit for human consumption, it must be denatured so as to ensure that it is not used for human consumption.
- Processing is not required for egg white intended for the manufacture of dried or crystallised albumin destined subsequently to undergo heat treatment.
- If processing is not carried out immediately after breaking, liquid egg must be stored either frozen or at a temperature of not more than 4 °C. The storage period before processing at 4 °C must not exceed 48 hours. However, these requirements do not apply to products to be de-sugared, if de-sugaring process is performed as soon as possible.
- Products that have not been stabilised so as to be kept at room temperature must be cooled to not more than 4°C. Products for freezing must be frozen immediately after processing.