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Eggs from Farm to Fork

Ever wonder how the eggs you had for breakfast made it from the farm to your plate? There are many steps along the way to ensure the safety and quality of the eggs you eat.

First, egg farmers across the country are committed to providing the best care possible to their hens. This includes keeping hens disease free, providing them with nutritious feed, continuous access to clean water and best management practices to reduce stress. In addition, over 80 percent of the hens laying eggs in the U.S. are raised under UEP Certified guidelines, which require certain production standards to ensure the well-being of egg laying hens.

From the farm, they go to the egg processing plant, where government regulations require USDA-graded eggs to be washed and sanitized before being packaged for the store. A number of programs ensure food safety protocols are in place, both on the farm and at the processing plant. Each system has a third-party auditing structure to ensure compliance leading to safer foods.

After the processing plant, eggs are loaded on vehicles that are dedicated to transporting food only. In addition, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) rule requires:

  • Shell eggs packed for consumers be stored and transported under refrigeration at an ambient (surrounding) air temperature not to exceed 45° F.
  • All packed shell eggs be labeled with a statement that refrigeration is required.
  • Any shell eggs imported into the United States, packed for consumer use, include a certification that they have been stored and transported at an ambient temperature of no greater than 45° F.

Once the eggs arrive at the store, you have a lot of choices. Learn more about different types of eggs.  For more tips follow us on Twitter and Facebook!