According to a September 9th release by the USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service, Egg Products Inspection Regulations will be modified by issue of a new final rule. This will mandate HACCP systems and Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures.  FSIS will continue to monitor for the presence of Salmonella and Listeria in egg products. It will no longer be necessary for plants producing egg products to have a full-time inspector. They will visit plants once per shift and as many as 83 facilities will operate in conformity with an HACCP program.

According to FSIS administrator Paul Kiecker, “Requiring egg product plants to develop food safety systems and procedures similar to meat and poultry requirements is a significant milestone in modernizing our inspection system.” 

FSIS will now extend regulatory authority over egg substitutes and freeze-dried egg products and will require inspection to ensure that standards of production and processing are equivalent to egg products. New regulations will address imported egg products with many supplying nations achieving equivalence through HACCP programs for their domestic production.

Placing the onus on plant operators to implement and maintain procedures that contribute to wholesome products parallels the approach with meat and poultry facilities.  Kiecker noted, “We feel very confident that, based on the once-per-shift approach, that we will still be able to verify that they are producing safe product.”

Inevitably opponents of intensified agricultural and livestock production are raising questions as to wholesomeness in the absence of continual USDA inspection. Given that egg products are pasteurized, regular monitoring of the documentation generated by a structured HACCP system should be adequate to maintain safety.