Egg definitions

Cracked egg

An egg which has a cracked shell which is visible, or visible by candling or other equivalent methods, and includes a broken egg.

Dirty egg

An egg that has visible faeces, soil or other matter on it.

Egg

An egg from any avian (bird) species, except ratites.

Egg processors

Businesses that:

  • pulp, separate, grade, pack (including re-packing eggs), wash, candle, assess for cracks, or oil the eggs
  • process egg products, for example pasteurise

But excludes:

  • retail sale or wholesale of eggs
  • restaurants, cafés, canteens, takeaways, caterers or any commercial kitchen that uses eggs.

Egg producer

A business, enterprise or activity that involves the production of eggs, whether or not the business grades, packs, washes, candles or assesses for cracks, oils, pulps for supply to the processor for pasteurisation or stores or transports eggs or egg pulp.

Egg pulp

Contents of an egg, which may contain sugar or salt.

Processing egg product

  • pasteurising
  • heating using any other time and temperature combination of equivalent or greater lethal effect on any pathogenic micro-organisms in the egg product
  • using any other process that provides an equivalent or greater lethal effect on any pathogenic micro-organisms in the egg product.

Traceability

An egg processor must not sell eggs unless each individual egg is marked with the processor’s or producer’s unique identification.

Unacceptable egg

Is:

  • a cracked egg or a dirty egg
  • egg product which has not been processed as per the requirements of Standard 4.2.5
  • egg product which contains a pathogenic micro-organism, whether or not the egg product has been processed as specified by the Standard.