Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilDangos y teitl llawn

SECTION X: EGGS AND EGG PRODUCTS

CHAPTER I: EGGS

1. At the producer's premises, and until sale to the consumer, eggs must be kept clean, dry, free of extraneous odour, effectively protected from shocks and out of direct sunshine.

2. Eggs must be stored and transported at a temperature, preferably constant, that is best suited to assure optimal conservation of their hygiene properties.

3. Eggs must be delivered to the consumer within a maximum time limit of 21 days of laying.

CHAPTER II: EGG PRODUCTS

I. 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:

1)

washing, drying and disinfecting dirty eggs, where carried out;

2)

breaking eggs, collecting their contents and removing parts of shells and membranes; and

3)

operations other man those referred to in points 1 and 2.

II. 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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

III. 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.

1. Eggs must not be broken unless they are clean and dry.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Processing is not required for egg white intended for the manufacture of dried or crystallised albumin destined subsequently to undergo heat treatment.

7. 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^oC. The storage period before processing at 4^oC 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.

8. Products that have not been stabilised so as to be kept at room temperature must be cooled to not more than 4^oC. Products for freezing must be frozen immediately after processing.

IV. ANALYTICAL SPECIFICATIONS

1. The concentration of 3-OH-butyric acid must not exceed 10 mg/kg in the dry matter of the unmodified egg product.

2. The lactic acid content of raw material used to manufacture egg products must not exceed 1 g/kg of dry matter. However, for fermented products, this value must be the one recorded before the fermentation process.

3. The quantity of eggshell remains, egg membranes and any other particles in the processed egg product must not exceed 100 mg/kg of egg product.

V. LABELLING AND IDENTIFICATION MARKING

1. In addition to the general requirements for identification marking laid down in Annex II, Section I, consignments of egg products, destined not for retail but for use as an ingredient in the manufacture of another product, must have a label giving the temperature at which the egg products must be maintained and the period during which conservation may thus be assured.

2. In the case of liquid eggs, the label referred to in paragraph 1 must also bear the words: "non-pasteurised egg products - to be treated at place of destination" and indicate the date and hour of breaking.