Egg processors

Egg processors are required to:

1. apply for a Food Authority licence online or download an application (PDF, 426 KB), print and post it
2. meet the requirements detailed below
3. prepare for regular audits.

You must not begin operations until you are informed that your licence application has been approved. If the premises are found to be operating without a licence, enforcement action may be taken.

• For more see applying for a licence.

There are no formal qualifications required for egg processors, however each food handler and person in control of a food business is required to have food safety skills and knowledge appropriate to their food handling activities.

See FSANZ guide chapter 3.2.2 Division 2 in Safe Food Australia.

Full requirements are set out in the Food Standards Code, Standard 3.2.2 - Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, clause 3.

Construction and layout of a food premise must be designed to minimise the opportunity for food contamination.

Egg processors must ensure that their food premises, fixtures, fittings, equipment and transport vehicles are designed and constructed in a manner that means they can be easily cleaned and, where necessary, sanitised.

Businesses must also ensure that the premises are provided with the necessary services of water, waste disposal, light, ventilation, cleaning and personal hygiene facilities, storage space and access to toilets.

See the FSANZ guide chapter 3.2.3 Safe Food Australia

Requirements are set out in the Food Standards Code, Chapter 3, Standard 3.2.3 - Food Premises and Equipment. 

A food handler must take all reasonable measures not to handle food or surfaces likely to come into contact with food in a way that is likely to compromise the safety and suitability of food.

Food businesses must ensure there are adequate facilities for food handlers to wash their hands. Hand wash facilities must be only used for washing hands, arms and face and should include warm running water, soap (or soap alternative) and single-use hand towel.

If a food handler believes they could have or be a carrier of a foodborne illness they must advise their supervisor and ensure they do not handle food that they could contaminate as a result of the disease.

Food handlers must ensure all food contact surfaces are kept clean and adequately protected from contamination.

See FSANZ guide chapter 3.2.2 Division 4 in Safe Food Australia.

For more information see also our fact sheets:

• Health & hygiene for food handlers (PDF, 157 KB)
• Cleaning & sanitising in food businesses (PDF, 339 KB)

Full requirements are set out in Food Standards Code, Standard 3.2.2, Division 4 - Health and Hygiene.

Egg processors must implement a documented food safety program. A food safety program is a written document that shows a business has examined their food production activities and identified all potential food safety hazards.  

It outlines how these hazards are controlled and monitored, corrective actions, records to be kept and the process for regular review.

The Food Authority’s generic food safety program template (Word, 429 KB ) may be adapted to the business’s requirements. 

Pasteurisation  

It is an offence to sell unpasteurised egg product except to a business who will pasteurise it, and to use unpasteurised egg product in food preparation.

The Food Standards Code sets the minimum pasteurisation temperatures, minimum times and maximum cooling temperatures. These are outlined in the factsheet, Requirements for egg processors (PDF, 390 KB).

An alternative heat treatment process can only be used if the time/temperature combination achieves an equivalent outcome. If an alternative process is used, businesses must be able to demonstrate this equivalence to the Food Authority.

The pasteurisation (or equivalent) process must be documented, and monitoring records maintained for each batch to ensure the appropriate time and temperature combinations are reached.

The equipment used to pasteurise these products must also comply with the requirements specified in the NSW Food Safety Schemes Manual, which outlines the verification and validation of the equipment.

Storage

Egg processors must maintain daily product and/or air temperature records to demonstrate compliance with egg storage temperature requirements:.

• cracked eggs must be stored at <7°C
• egg products with at least 80% egg white or egg yolk, or both, must be stored at ≤ 5°C.

Storage of whole eggs

The Food Authority recommends whole eggs are stored at less than 15°C to prevent the breakdown of the yolk membrane, and consequently prevent the growth of Salmonella.

Daily product and/or air temperature records using a thermometer or a continuous data logger record should be maintained to demonstrate whole eggs are being stored and maintained at less than 15°C. Temperature measuring devices should be easily accessible and demonstrate accuracy of ± 1°C.

Collection and storage of pulp

Businesses that collect egg pulp must be licensed with the Food Authority to manufacture, pasteurise or process egg products or mixtures. Pulp may be collected using a number of different methods, such as centrifugation (or ’gulping’), mechanical separation or physical separation.

If you centrifuge eggs they must be visibly clean (that is, faeces, soil and other matter removed) prior to the production of pulp.

Eggs must be dry when pulped to prevent contamination of the liquid egg product from water droplets on the shell.

Unpasteurised pulp must be stored in a separate area to pasteurised pulp to prevent the risk of cross contamination or misidentification.

Eggs broken in the process of final crack detection may be used for pulp provided the controls above are in place to minimise microbial growth. Pulp must be stored under hygienic conditions at less than 5°C and sent for pasteurisation with minimum delay.

Egg processors need to have a documented procedure for the collection and storage of pulp which outlines:

• the process used to collect and store pulp
• the process used to dispose of broken eggs
• how the pulp is labelled (date of collection, quantity of pulp, and intended use of the pulp, for example, ‘waste or unpasteurised pulp to be processed’).

Cleaning & sanitation

Egg processors must implement a documented cleaning schedule that identifies:

• all fixtures, fittings and equipment used to process eggs or egg products
• the frequency of cleaning
• how all fixtures, fittings and equipment are cleaned and sanitised
• how food contact surfaces and utensils are sanitised (where applicable)
• chemical usage (strength, contact times, temperature).

All fixtures, fittings and equipment must be adequate for the production of safe and suitable food, and fit for their intended use.

Routine internal cleaning and sanitation inspections must be undertaken, and records maintained for corrective action taken on any identified issues.

Cleaning chemicals must be suitable for contact with food and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Record keeping

The following records need to be kept for cracked eggs, pulp collection and storage:

1. purchase details of eggs if applicable (the farm that supplied the eggs)
2. batch details of eggs used (production date)
3. date and quantity of pulp collected
4. daily product and/or air temperatures to demonstrate that pulp is stored at less than 5°C
5. calibration of temperature measuring devices (thermometer, continuous data logger or coolroom gauges) which must be accessible and demonstrate accuracy of ± 1°C.

Cracked eggs

Cracked (including broken) eggs must not be made available for retail sale or catering purposes under Standard 2.2.2 of the Food Standards Code.  

Cracked eggs can only be sold to a business that is licensed with the Food Authority to manufacture, pasteurise or process egg products or mixtures.  

Cracked eggs used for pulp must be stored under hygienic conditions at less than 7°C prior to their use in the production of pulp.

Egg processors need to have a documented procedure for the handling of cracked eggs on their premises, which outlines:

1. how cracked eggs are identified (for example, clearly labelled as waste)
2. the process used to segregate and dispose of cracked eggs (for example, hygienically and away from eggs intended for processing)
3. the process to pasteurise cracked eggs, if licensed to do so
4. details of any sales of cracked eggs to other licensed businesses.

Dirty eggs

Eggs must be visibly clean (that is, faeces, soil and other matter removed) before they are used to produce egg products or mixtures.

Egg processors must have a documented procedure for the handling of dirty eggs on their premises which outlines:

• the process used to deal with dirty eggs, such as:
  • separating the egg contents from the shell using a process that minimises contact between the outside of the shell and the egg product (for example, automated or manual hand breaking of dry eggs)
  • discarding dirty eggs.
• how dirty eggs are identified (for example, clearly labelled as waste), segregated and discarded (ideally hygienically, and away from eggs intended for processing). 

Egg processors must ensure eggs are only sourced from reputable suppliers, that is, businesses with appropriate food safety and biosecurity safeguards in place. It is the processor’s responsibility to determine criteria for approving and maintaining suppliers.

Businesses must also only accept eggs that have been protected from the likelihood of contamination.

Receiving cracked eggs or unpasteurised egg products

Product and/or air temperature records must be maintained for each delivery of these foods using a thermometer or a continuous data logger. Unpasteurised egg products must be received at less than 5ºC, or if frozen, frozen hard solid. Cracked eggs must be received at less than 7ºC.

The following records for the purchase of these foods need to also be maintained:

• names and addresses of the persons or businesses from whom the foods are purchased
• dates on which the foods are purchased
• lot identification numbers of the foods purchased
• quantity of the foods purchased.

Other inputs

Other inputs that may potentially contaminate eggs need to be suitable for contact with food, such as packaging materials, sugar and salt.

To comply with this requirement egg processors should obtain information from their suppliers that demonstrates all inputs are suitable for contact with food. 

Egg products or mixtures, must not be used in food unless they have been pasteurised.

Businesses that pasteurise these products need to:

• be licensed with the Food Authority
• meet the requirements of Standard 4.2.5, clause 21 of the Code and the pasteurisation equipment requirements specified in the NSW Food Safety Schemes Manual
• maintain a list of all the processed foods they produce that contain these pasteurised products.

Sale of egg products

Egg processors that sell unpasteurised egg products or mixtures, in NSW need to demonstrate that they are only sold to a licensed egg business authorised to pasteurise these products by keeping a copy of the purchaser’s current Food Authority licence.

These products must also be labelled with an advisory statement to the effect that they are unpasteurised, in accordance with the requirements of Standard 1.2.3 – Mandatory Warnings and Advisory Statements and Declarations of the Food Standards Code.

The following records need to be kept for the sale of these products.

• names and addresses of the person or businesses to whom the foods are sold
• dates on which the foods are sold
• lot identification numbers of the foods sold
• quantity of the foods sold.

Dried egg products

The minimum requirement for the heat treatment of dried egg products is set out in Standard 4.2.5 of the Food Standards Code or an equivalent demonstrated method.

See factsheet: Requirements for egg processors (PDF, 185 KB)

Dried egg products must be stored in a dry store after processing. 

Egg products or mixtures must comply with Part 1.2 Labelling and Other Information Requirements of the Food Standards Code. The requirements depend on whether the food is packaged and how it is sold, for example by retail or wholesale.

Retail sales and sales to caterers

If egg products are sold packaged, directly to consumers or to caterers, the food must bear a label that provides important information, including name of the food, shelf life, lot identification, and relevant warning and advisory statements. For more information, see Labelling – general requirements fact sheet (PDF, 118 KB).

Wholesale (business to business) sales

• If the food is sold in a package, it needs to have a label that includes: the name of the food, for example, egg pulp, dried egg pulp, dried whole egg
• the egg processor’s name and address
• lot identification (date marking may be used in lieu of the lot identification).

If they request it, purchasers must also be provided with any information relevant to compositional, labelling or declaration requirements.  

Hygienic processing, and hygiene and sanitation require microbiological verification to demonstrate that processing and cleaning are meeting the required standard.

The NSW Food Safety Schemes Manual outlines the testing requirements for egg processors, including sampling and analysis requirements for dried and pasteurised egg products or mixtures.

Non-reticulated water used to wash eggs must also be tested in accordance with the Manual.  

Any analysis is at the licence holder’s expense and must be conducted by a laboratory accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) or International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). Only tests for pH or environmental swabbing for Listeria may be conducted in-house, without NATA accreditation, using a validated method.

The licence holder must notify the Food Authority if an analysed sample fails to meet the standards as detailed in the Manual within 24 hours by phone, and in writing within 48 hours. Businesses can submit the written notice using the Notify a pathogen detection form.

Businesses wanting to use recycled water are required to apply in writing to the Food Authority. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Egg processors will be routinely audited by the Food Authority for compliance with requirements. Compliance or regulatory action will be taken if required.

There are fees for audits and inspections, payable by the licence holder.

For more see audits of licensed businesses.

Egg processing businesses also need to meet the requirements set out in

1. Food Act 2003 (NSW)
2. Food Regulation 2025, including Part 10 Egg Food Safety Scheme, and
3. Food Standards Code:

• Part 1.2 – Labelling and Other Information Requirements
• Standard 1.2.2 – Food Identification Requirements
• Standard 1.2.3 – Mandatory Warnings and Advisory Statements and Declarations
• Standard 2.2.2 – Egg & egg products
• Standard 3.2.1 Food Safety Programs Standard
• Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements
• Standard 3.2.3 Food Premises and Equipment
• Standard 4.1.1 Primary production and processing standards – preliminary provisions
• Standard 4.2.5 - Primary production and processing Standard for Eggs and Egg Product

See also the factsheet Requirements for egg processors.