The Food Inspection and Safety Service (FSIS) is changing the regulations on official egg product controls in the United States.

The request made to the US production plants in the sector is to develop and implement risk analysis systems, critical control points (HACCP) and hygiene standard operating procedures (SOP) that are consistent with those of meat and poultry, already regulated by FSIS.

The FSIS specifies that pasteurized egg products must be transformed and made edible without using additional preparations in order to guarantee their wholesomeness.

In order to improve the egg product inspection system, FSIS is working on:

• providing a generic approval as part of the prior label approval system for egg products
• applying changes to the labeling requirements for shell eggs, consistent with the requirements of the FDA
• require specific handling instructions for egg products which must be handled carefully to maintain healthiness
• eliminating the requirements for prior approval by FSIS of egg products plant drawings, specifications, and equipment
• incorporating egg products plants into the coverage of the “rules of practice” that the Agency follows when initiating administrative enforcement actions.

Finally, FSIS is not eliminating the definition of “Eggs of current production”. It is retaining the current requirement that egg products produced from edible shell eggs of other than current production be clearly and distinctly labeled to indicate that the product is produced from eggs that are in excess of sixty days old.