European Union (EU) - Export requirements for processed egg
Eligible/ineligible product
Eligible
- All processed egg products.
Pre-export approval by competent authority of the importing country
Establishments
- Exporting processed egg establishments must be federally registered or licensed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
- Establishments must operate using HACCP principles (see Preventive control plan (PCP) for domestic guidance) as stipulated in Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, detailing hygiene of foodstuffs.
- Processed egg establishments must meet all the conditions outlined in Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin detailing specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin.
- Processed Egg establishments must appear on the Section X: Eggs and egg products – PDF (53 kb) list found on the Third Country Establishments List per Country website.
- Establishments seeking addition to the EU list must contact their CFIA regional office and complete the following form:
Note: The form must be signed and dated by the company representative.
- The approximate timeline for approval of establishments to be listed on the EU website is 60 days. The CFIA has no control on the EU timeline for approval of establishments.
Note: Canada appears on the list of third countries authorized to export to the EU according to Commission Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 of 8 August 2008 laying down a list of third countries, territories, zones or compartments from which poultry and poultry products may be imported into and transit through the Community and the veterinary certification requirements.
Note: Egg products imported into Canada for processing must be sourced from EU approved establishments of countries authorized to export to the European Union. Refer to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 to verify if the exporting third country is on the list approved to export to the EU. Imported egg product must comply with the animal health requirements of Council Directive 2002/99/EC of 16 December 2002 laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and introduction of products of animal origin for human consumption and of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin detailing specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin.
Note: Processed egg used as an ingredient in the manufacture of composite products (CPs) must also be sourced from an EU approved establishments.
Product specifications
- Specifications related to microbiological, chemical contaminant and drug residue limits can be found in the Annexes of various regulations that can be found in the section European Union (EU) Legislation.
Production controls and inspection requirements
- The following tests must be completed. These tests can be conducted by a CFIA laboratory or by a lab accredited by either the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) or the Canadian Association of Laboratory Accreditation (CALA). The results of these analyses must accompany the EU export certificate.
- Organic acid (3 OH-butyric acid and lactic acid)
If laboratory results show no detection of organic acids, the results should be recorded as negative. If results are positive, the laboratory should indicate the type and amount of organic acid present.
To be eligible for certification the amount of each organic acid cannot exceed that listed below:
Lactic acid: 1000 mg/kg
3 OH-butyric acid: 10 mg/kg
Example of instruction to the laboratory technician: "Test for organic acids (3 OH-butyric acid and lactic acid)"
- Enterobacteriaceae
A lot is not eligible for certification if any result for Enterobacteriaceae is reported as more than 100 colony forming units (CFUs) per gram or mL, or if more than two (2) samples are greater than 10 colony forming units per gram or mL.
- Extraneous material (egg shell, egg membrane, and other particles)
Collect and identify a separate sample of finished product for analysis of extraneous material.
- Organic acid (3 OH-butyric acid and lactic acid)
Labelling, packaging and marking requirements
- In addition to the general requirements for identification, shipments of egg products destined for use as an ingredient in the manufacture of another product must have a label outlining the temperature of storage.
- The label should include a best before date (DD/MM/YYYY) and the storage temperature (in Celsius), with instructions outlining that the shelf life and storage conditions as determined by the processed egg establishment.
Documentation requirements
Certificate
- Model Veterinary certificate for egg products (EP)
- Note: For products shipped to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), Belgium and / or the Republic of Ireland, the certificate must be signed by an official veterinarian. For all other countries, the certificate may be signed by an inspector.
- EU In-transit certificate
- To be used if exported processed egg will be passing through the EU on route to its final destination and will be in the EU for more than 24 hours.
Other information
Member countries of the European Union (EU)
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
European Union (EU) Legislation
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 of 19 December 2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives.
- For more information on permitted additives please consult the DG-SANTE database on Food Additives.
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 37/2010 of 22 December 2009 on pharmacologically active substances and their classification regarding maximum residue limits in foodstuffs of animal origin
- Date modified: