Egg Safety
The following is a Fact Sheet recently released by Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Fact Sheet 6 - September 2009
FSANZ looks forward to improved egg safety
FSANZ’s Board has approved the release of a Draft Assessment Report outlining proposed requirements on egg producers and processors. The draft standard aims to reduce the incidence of human illness linked to the consumption of Salmonella-contaminated eggs, which in the main has been associated with cracked and dirty eggs, and raw egg pulp.
Risk Assessment
FSANZ carried out a risk assessment of how and where hazards may arise during the production and processing of eggs. This information was used to develop control measures in the draft standard. The risk assessment has been summarised in ‘Public health and safety of eggs and egg products in Australia’, which has been published on the FSANZ website.
The key findings of the risk assessment were:
- Risks associated with chemical hazards in eggs and egg products are low.
- Salmonella is the principal microorganism of human health concern associated with eggs and egg products.
- Contamination of eggs with Salmonella mainly occurs at the time of, or soon after, the egg is laid.
- The frequency of Salmonella-contaminated eggs in Australia is very low. Despite this, there is a potential risk of illness from consumption of raw or lightly-cooked eggs, or the consumption of uncooked foods containing raw egg.
- Consumption of eggs that have cracks or are visually dirty (soiled) leads to an increased risk of human illness from Salmonella.
- Cooking of eggs significantly reduces the risk to human health from Salmonella.
Consumer survey
FSANZ also commissioned a study into consumer behaviour and egg consumption to gather information on the consumption of raw, or lightly cooked eggs in Australia, and on consumer’s storage and food safety behaviour with regards to eggs.
This study was insightful and showed that when Australians eat eggs, about 5% of the dishes contain raw eggs; 12% of the population would use a cracked egg and 17% would use a dirty egg as is and 54 % of households almost always sample raw batter when making cakes. The full consumer survey report will be published on the FSANZ website.
Outline of the new Standard
The draft standard applies to all eggs produced, but specifically targets those riskier egg and egg products which are more likely to cause illness. The requirements aim to minimise the contamination of eggs on farm, prevent the sale of cracked and dirty eggs and restrict the sale of cracked eggs and unprocessed egg pulp solely to egg processors making egg products (such as pasteurised egg pulp).
The draft standard contains provisions for egg producers and processers who will need to show that they control potential food safety hazards associated with their business. Dirty eggs can either be sent for processing, or cleaning prior to sale as shell eggs, whereas cracked eggs and egg pulp may only be sent for processing, for example by pasteurisation, into egg products.
Finally, all eggs and egg products will be required to be marked with the producer’s or processor’s unique identifier.
A cost benefit analysis on the impact of the draft standard on different stakeholders indicated that, despite predicted expenses to industry, government and possibly consumers, this standard should bring about net benefits through minimising public health and safety risks.
Implementation
The states and territories have developed a draft Compliance Plan to accompany this new standard.
The key aims of the Compliance Plan are:
- to provide information to the industry and consumers on how the standard will be implemented and enforced prior to the finalisation of our standards development work and;
- to provide a nationally consistent approach to the implementation of the requirements on the production and processing of eggs and egg products.
Public submissions welcome
FSANZ welcomes input and comments from the public and interested parties on the Draft Assessment Report on the Primary Production and Processing Standard for Eggs and Egg Products and on the draft Compliance Plan. Details of how to make submissions are on our website.
Where can I obtain further information?
General information about Primary Production and Processing Standards is available on the FSANZ website at www.foodstandards.gov.au
The FSANZ switchboard is (02) 6271 2222.