Under these regulations, words in the singular shall be deemed to mean the plural and vice versa, as the case may demand.

For the purpose of these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall be construed, respectively, as follows:

Acceptable means suitable for the purpose intended and acceptable to the Administrator.

Act means the applicable provisions of the Egg Products Inspection Act (Pub. L. 91-597, 84 Stat. 1620 et seq.).

Administrator means the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service or any officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to whom authority has been delegated or may be delegated to act in his or her stead.

Adulterated means any egg or egg product under one or more of the following circumstances:

(a) If it bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render it injurious to health; but in case the substance is not an added substance, such article shall not be considered adulterated under this clause if the quantity of such substance in or on such article does not ordinarily render it injurious to health;

(b)(1) If it bears or contains any added poisonous or added deleterious substance (other than one which is (i) a pesticide chemical in or on a raw agricultural commodity; (ii) a food additive; or (iii) a color additive) which may in the judgment of the Secretary, make such article unfit for human food;

(2) If it is, in whole or in part, a raw agricultural commodity and such commodity bears or contains a pesticide chemical which is unsafe within the meaning of section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;

(3) If it bears or contains any food additive which is unsafe within the meaning of section 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;

(4) If it bears or contains any color additive which is unsafe within the meaning of section 706 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act: Provided, that an article which is not otherwise deemed adulterated under paragraph (b)(2), (3), or (4) of this definition shall nevertheless be deemed adulterated if use of the pesticide chemical, food additive, or color additive, in or on such article, is prohibited by regulations of the Secretary in official plants;

(c) If it consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance, or if it is otherwise unfit for human food;

(d) If it has been prepared, packaged, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby it may have been rendered injurious to health;

(e) If it is an egg which has been subjected to incubation or the product of any egg which has been subjected to incubation;

(f) If its container is composed, in whole or in part of any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render the contents injurious to health;

(g) If it has been intentionally subjected to radiation, unless the use of the radiation was in conformity with a regulation or exemption in effect pursuant to section 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; or

(h) If any valuable constituent has been, in whole or in part, omitted or abstracted therefrom; or if any substance has been substituted, wholly or in part therefor; or if damage or inferiority has been concealed in any manner; or if any substance has been added thereto or mixed or packed therewith so as to increase its bulk or weight, or reduce its quality or strength, or make it appear better or of greater value than it is.

Ambient temperature means the air temperature maintained in an egg storage facility or transport vehicle.

Applicant means any person who requests any inspection service as authorized under the Act or the regulations of this part.

Capable of use as human food means any egg or egg product, unless it is denatured, or otherwise identified, as required by these regulations to deter its use as human food.

Class means any subdivision of a product based on essential physical characteristics that differentiate between major groups of the same kind, type, or method of processing.

Commerce means interstate, foreign, or intrastate commerce.

Condition means any condition (including, but not being limited to, the state of preservation, cleanliness, soundness, wholesomeness, or fitness for human food) of any product which affects its merchantability; or any condition, including but not being limited to, the processing, handling, or packaging which affects such product.

Container or Package includes for egg products, any box, can, tin, plastic, or other receptacle, wrapper, or cover and for shell eggs, any carton, basket, case, cart, pallet, or other receptacle.

(a) Immediate container means any package or other container in which egg products or shell eggs are packed for household or other ultimate consumers.

(b) Shipping container means any container used in packing an immediate container.

Department means the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Egg means the shell egg of the domesticated chicken, turkey, duck, goose, or guinea. Some of the terms applicable to shell eggs are as follows:

(a) Check means an egg that has a broken shell or crack in the shell but has its shell membranes intact and contents not leaking.

(b) Clean and sound shell egg means any egg whose shell is free of adhering dirt or foreign material and is not cracked or broken.

(c) Dirty egg or Dirt means an egg that has a shell that is unbroken and has adhering dirt or foreign material.

(d) Incubator reject means an egg that has been subjected to incubation and has been removed from incubation during the hatching operations as infertile or otherwise unhatchable.

(e) Inedible means eggs of the following descriptions: Black rots, yellow rots, white rots, mixed rots, sour eggs, eggs with green whites, eggs with stuck yolks, moldy eggs, musty eggs, eggs showing blood rings, and eggs containing embryo chicks (at or beyond the blood ring stage).

(f) Leaker means an egg that has a crack or break in the shell and shell membranes to the extent that the egg contents are exposed or are exuding or free to exude through the shell.

(g) Loss means an egg that is unfit for human food because it is smashed or broken so that its contents are leaking; or overheated, frozen, or contaminated; or an incubator reject; or because it contains a bloody white, large meat spots, a large quantity of blood, or other foreign material.

(h) Restricted egg means any check, dirty egg, incubator reject, inedible, leaker, or loss.

Egg handler means any person, excluding the ultimate consumer, who engages in any business in commerce that involves buying or selling any eggs (as a poultry producer or otherwise), or processing any egg products, or otherwise using any eggs in the preparation of human food.

Egg product means any dried, frozen, or liquid eggs, with or without added ingredients, excepting products which contain eggs only in a relatively small proportion or historically have not been, in the judgment of the Secretary, considered by consumers as products of the egg food industry, and which may be exempted by the Secretary under such conditions as the Secretary may prescribe to assure that the egg ingredients are not adulterated and such products are not represented as egg products. For the purposes of this part, the following products, among others, are exempted as not being egg products: Cooked egg products, imitation egg products, dietary foods, dried no-bake custard mixes, egg nog mixes, acidic dressings, noodles, milk and egg dip, cake mixes, French toast, and sandwiches containing eggs or egg products, provided such products are prepared from inspected egg products or eggs containing no more restricted eggs than are allowed in the official standards for U.S. Consumer Grade B shell eggs. Balut and other similar ethnic delicacies are also exempted from inspection under this part.

Eggs of current production means shell eggs which have moved through the usual marketing channels since the time they were laid and are not in excess of 60 days old.

Fair Packaging and Labeling Act means the Act so entitled, approved November 3, 1966 (80 Stat. 1296), and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act means the Act so entitled, approved June 25, 1938 (52 Stat. 1040), and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto.

Inspection means the application of such inspection methods and techniques as are deemed necessary by the responsible Secretary to carry out the provisions of the Egg Products Inspection Act and the regulations under this part.

Inspection program personnel means any inspector or other individual employed by the Department or any cooperating agency who is authorized by the Secretary to do any work or perform any duty in connection with the Program.

Inspection service means the official service within the Department having the responsibility for carrying out the provisions of the Egg Products Inspection Act. Inspection service also means the activities performed, including official reporting by such official service.

Interested party means any person financially interested in a transaction involving any inspection or appeal inspection of any product, or the decision of an inspector.

Label means a display of any printed, graphic, or other method of identification upon the shipping container, if any, or upon the immediate container, including but not limited to, an individual consumer package of eggs and egg products, or accompanying such product.

Misbranded means any egg products which are not labeled and packaged in accordance with the requirements prescribed by regulations of the Administrator under this part.

Nest-run eggs means eggs which are packed as they come from the production facilities without having been washed, sized and/or candled for quality, with the exception that some checks, dirties, or other obvious undergrades may have been removed.

Official certificate means any certificate prescribed by regulations of the Administrator for issuance by an inspector or other person performing official functions under this part.

Official device means any device prescribed or authorized by the Secretary for use in applying any official mark.

Official identification means the official inspection mark or any other symbol prescribed by regulations of this part to identify the status of any article.

Official inspection mark means any symbol prescribed by the regulations of the Administrator showing that egg products were inspected in accordance with this part.

Official plant means any plant in which the plant facilities, methods of operation, and sanitary procedures have been found suitable and adequate by the Administrator for the inspection of egg products pursuant to the regulations in this part and in which inspection service is carried on.

Official standards means the standards of quality, grades, and weight classes for eggs.

Office of inspection means the office of any inspector.

Pasteurize means the subjecting of each particle of egg products to heat or other treatments to destroy harmful viable microorganisms.

Person means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other business unit.

Pesticide chemical, Food additive, Color additive, and Raw agricultural commodity shall have the same meaning for purposes of this part as under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Potable water means water that has been approved by a State health authority or other agency or laboratory acceptable to the Administrator as safe for drinking and suitable for food processing.

Processing means manufacturing of egg products, including breaking eggs or filtering, mixing, blending, pasteurizing, stabilizing, cooling, freezing or drying, or packaging or repackaging egg products at official plants.

Producer-packer means any producer who sorts eggs only from his own production and packs them into their various qualities.

Quality means the inherent properties of any product which determine its relative degree of excellence.

Regulations means the provisions in this part.

Regulatory inspector means any employee of the U.S. Government, or State or local jurisdiction, who is authorized by the Secretary to make such inspections as required in § 590.28 of these regulations.

Sampling means the act of taking samples of any product for inspection or analyses.

Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture or his delegate.

Shell egg packer means any person engaged in the sorting of shell eggs from sources other than or in addition to the person's own production into their various qualities, either mechanically or by other means.

Shipped for retail sale means eggs that are forwarded from the processing facility for distribution to the ultimate consumer.

Stabilization means the subjection of any egg product to a desugaring process.

State means any State of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the District of Columbia.

Ultimate consumer means any household consumer, restaurant, institution, or any other party who has purchased or received shell eggs or egg products for consumption.

United States means the States.

Washed ungraded eggs means eggs which have been washed but not sized or segregated for quality.

White or albumen means, for the purpose of this part, the product obtained from the egg as broken from the shell and separated from the yolk.

The Administrator shall perform, for and under the supervision of the Secretary, such duties as the Secretary may require in the enforcement or administration of the provisions of the Act, and this part. The Administrator may waive for a limited period any particular provisions of the regulations to permit experimentation so that new procedures, equipment, and processing techniques may be tested to facilitate definite improvements and at the same time to maintain full compliance with the spirit and intent of the regulations. The Food Safety and Inspection Service and its officers and employees will not be liable in damages through acts of commission or omission in the administration of this part.

The Secretary shall, whenever he determines that it would effectuate the purposes of the Act, authorize the Administrator to cooperate with appropriate State and other governmental agencies in carrying out any provisions of the Egg Products Inspection Act and these regulations. In carrying out the provisions of the Act and the regulations, the Secretary may conduct such examinations, investigations, and inspections as he determines practicable through any officer or employee of any such agency commissioned by him for such purpose. The Secretary shall reimburse the States and other agencies for the services rendered by them in such cooperative programs as agreed to in the cooperative agreements as signed by the Administrator and the duly authorized agent of the State or other agency.

(a) Purpose. This section collects and displays the control numbers assigned to information collection requirements by the Office of Management and Budget contained in 7 CFR 590 pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, Pub. L. 96-511.

(b) Display.

Inspection of eggs and egg products shall be rendered pursuant to these regulations and under such conditions and in accordance with such methods as may be prescribed or approved by the Administrator.

No plant in which egg products processing operations are conducted shall process egg products without continuous inspection under these regulations, except as expressly exempted in § 590.100.

Eggs and egg products processed in an official plant shall be inspected, processed, marked, and labeled as required by these regulations. Egg products entering an official plant shall have been inspected, processed, marked, and labeled as required by these regulations.

Inspection program personnel will make periodic inspections of business premises, facilities, inventories, operations, transport vehicles, and records of egg handlers, and the records of all persons engaged in the business of transporting, shipping, or receiving any eggs or egg products.

(a) Requirements within the scope of the Act with respect to premises, facilities, and operations of any official plant which are in addition to or different than those made under this part may not be imposed by any State or local jurisdiction except that any such jurisdiction may impose recordkeeping and other requirements within the scope of § 590.200, if consistent therewith, with respect to any such plant.

(b) Labeling, packaging, or ingredient requirements in addition to or different than those made under this part, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act may not be imposed by any State or local jurisdiction with respect to egg products processed at any official plant in accordance with the requirements under this part and such Acts.

Any State or local jurisdiction may exercise jurisdiction with respect to eggs and egg products for the purpose of preventing the distribution for human food purposes of any such articles which are outside of the official plant and are in violation of this part or any of said Federal Acts or any State or local law consistent therewith.

Periodic inspections will be made at any plant processing egg products which are not intended for use as human food of its operations and records to ensure compliance with the Act and the regulations in this part. Egg products not intended for use as human food shall be denatured or decharacterized prior to being offered for sale or transportation and identified as prescribed by the regulations in this part to prevent their use as human food.

(a) No person shall buy, sell, or transport or offer to buy or sell, or offer or receive for transportation in commerce, any eggs or egg products which are not intended for use as human food, unless they are denatured or decharacterized, unless shipped under seal as authorized in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section or in §§ 590.504(c) and 590.720(a) and identified as required by the regulations in this part.

(b) No person shall import or export shell eggs classified as loss, inedible, or incubator rejects or any egg products which are unwholesome, adulterated, or are otherwise unfit for human food purposes, except as provided in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, unless they are denatured or decharacterized and identified as required by the regulations in this part.

(c) Egg products which are unwholesome, adulterated, or are otherwise unfit for human food purposes that are not denatured or decharacterized may be exported to foreign countries for industrial use or animal food under the following provisions:

(1) Authorized government official of the foreign country shall approve the importation of such products into that country.

(2) The egg products shall be shipped under U.S. Government seal and identified as required in § 590.840.

(3) Provisions for the control of such inedible product in the foreign country to preclude its use as human food must be established and approved by the Administrator. Such control may consist of, but not be limited to, receipt and inspection by an appropriate U.S. Government official, an official of an approved meat, poultry, or egg products inspection system of the foreign government, or, when acceptable to the Administrator, a foreign government official including other foreign health authorities.

(d) Foreign governments may petition the Administrator for approval to import into this country egg products which are unwholesome, adulterated, or otherwise unfit for human food purposes that are not denatured or decharacterized for industrial use or animal food requirements. Such products shall be subject to the provisions of this part and other applicable laws and regulations for importation into the United States.

(a) All shell eggs packed into containers destined for the ultimate consumer must be stored and transported under refrigeration at an ambient temperature of no greater than 45 °F (7.2 °C) and must bear safe handling instructions in accordance with 21 CFR 101.17(h).

(b) Any producer-packer with an annual egg production from a flock of 3,000 or fewer layers is exempt from the temperature and labeling requirements of this section. Such producer-packer is still required to comply with the labeling requirements in 21 CFR 101.17(h).

(a) [Reserved]

(b) The following are exempt, to the extent prescribed, from the inspection of egg products processing operations in section 5(a) of the Act (21 U.S.C. 1034(a)), provided the conditions for exemption and the provisions of these regulations are met:

(1) The processing and sale of egg products by any poultry producer from eggs of his own flock's production when sold directly to a household consumer exclusively for use by the consumer and members of the household and its nonpaying guests and employees.

(2) The processing in non-official plants, including but not limited to bakeries, restaurants, and other food processors, of certain categories of food products which contain eggs or egg products as an ingredient, as well as the sale and possession of such products. Such products must be manufactured from inspected egg products processed in accordance with the regulations in this part and 9 CFR part 591 or from eggs containing no more restricted eggs than are allowed in the official standards for U.S. Consumer Grade B shell eggs.

(a) Any person who is a Federal or State employee, or the employee of a local jurisdiction possessing proper qualifications as determined by an examination for competency and who is to perform services pursuant to this part, may be licensed by the Secretary as an inspector.

(b) Licenses issued by the Secretary are to be countersigned by the Administrator or by any other designated official of the Service.

(c) No person may be licensed to inspect any product in which he is financially interested.

Inspection program personnel will be furnished with a numbered official badge that will be carried in a proper manner at all times while on duty. This badge will be sufficient identification to entitle inspection program personnel entry at all regular entrances and to all parts of the official plant and premises to which inspection program personnel are assigned.

(a) Inspection program personnel will not inspect any product in which he or she has a financial interest; or that is produced by a plant at which the employee, the employee's spouse, minor child, partner, organization in which the employee is serving as officer, director, trustee, partner, or employee; or that is produced by any other person with whom inspection program personnel are negotiating or have any arrangements concerning prospective employment.

(b) All inspection program personnel are subject to statutory restrictions with respect to political activities; e.g., 5 U.S.C. 7324 and 1502.

(c) Violation of the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section or the provisions of applicable statutes referenced in paragraph (b) of this section will constitute grounds for dismissal.

(d) Inspection program personnel are subject to all applicable provisions of law and regulations and instructions of the Department and the Food Safety and Inspection Service concerning employee responsibilities and conduct. The setting forth of certain prohibitions in this part in no way limits the applicability of such general or other regulations or instructions.

The inspector who is to perform the inspection in an official plant shall be given reasonable advance notice by plant management of the hours when such inspection will be required.

Operating schedules for an official plant shall be subject to approval of the Administrator. The normal operating schedule shall consist of a continuous 8-hour period per day and shall include the time for FSIS inspection program personnel to put on required gear and to walk to a work station, and the time for FSIS inspection program personnel to return from a work station and remove required gear (excluding not to exceed 1 hour for lunch), 5 consecutive days per week, within the administrative workweek, Sunday through Saturday, for each full shift required. Clock hours of daily operations need not be specified in a schedule, although as a condition of continuance of approval of a schedule, the hours of operation must be reasonably uniform from day to day.

When operations in an official plant require the services of inspection personnel beyond their regularly assigned tour of duty on any day or on a day outside the established schedule, such services are considered as overtime work. The official plant must give reasonable advance notice to the inspector of any overtime service necessary and must pay for such overtime. For each calendar year, FSIS will calculate the overtime rate for inspection service, per hour per program employee, using the following formula: The quotient of dividing the Office of Field Operations plus Office of International Affairs inspection program personnel's previous fiscal year's regular direct pay by the previous fiscal year's regular hours, plus the quotient multiplied by the calendar year's percentage of cost of living increase, multiplied by 1.5, plus the benefits rate, plus the travel and operating rate, plus the overhead rate, plus the allowance for bad debt rate. FSIS calculates the benefits rate, the travel and operating rate, the overhead rate, and the allowance for bad debt rate using the formulas set forth in § 592.510(b) and the cost of living increases and percentage of inflation factors set forth in § 592.510(c) of this chapter.

(a) When an official plant requires inspection service on a holiday or a day designated in lieu of a holiday, such service is considered holiday work. The official plant must, in advance of such holiday work, request the inspector in charge to furnish inspection service during such period and must pay the Agency for such holiday work at the hourly rate. For each calendar year, FSIS calculates the holiday rate for inspection service, per hour per program employee, using the following formula: The quotient of dividing the Office of Field Operations plus Office of International Affairs inspection program personnel's previous fiscal year's regular direct pay by the previous fiscal year's regular hours, plus the quotient multiplied by the calendar year's percentage of cost of living increase, multiplied by 2, plus the benefits rate, plus the travel and operating rate, plus the overhead rate, plus the allowance for bad debt rate. FSIS will calculate the benefits rate, the travel and operating rate, the overhead rate, and the allowance for bad debt rate using the formulas set forth in § 592.510(b), and the cost of living increases and percentage of inflation factors set forth in § 592.510(c) of this chapter.

(b) The term “holiday” shall mean the legal public holidays specified by the Congress in paragraph (a) of section 6103, title 5 of the United States Code. Information on legal holidays may be obtained from the supervisor.

Overtime and/or holiday services shall be billed to the official plant on the basis of each 15 minutes of overtime and/or holiday service performed by each inspector providing such service to the plant, except that when an official plant requires the services of an inspector after he has completed his day's assignment and left the plant or when he is called back to duty on a day outside the established normal operating schedule or on a holiday, the official plant shall pay for a minimum of 2 hours service at the applicable established rate. Extra travel expense incurred while rendering overtime or holiday service shall be billed to the official plant. Bills are payable upon receipt and become delinquent 30 days from date of billing. Overtime or holiday inspection service will not be performed at any plant that is delinquent, and processing operations shall be confined to the regular operating schedule of the plant. In addition, fees will be charged and collected for certifications requested by and provided for the official plant that are not within the scope of these regulations.

Access shall not be refused to any representative of the Secretary to any plant, place of business, or transport vehicle subject to inspection under the provisions of this part upon presentation of proper credentials.

(a) Each product for which inspection service is required shall be so placed as to disclose fully its class, quality, quantity, and condition as the circumstances may warrant.

(b) The perimeter of each cooler room used to store eggs must be made accessible in order for the Secretary's representatives to determine the ambient temperature under which shell eggs packed into containers destined for the ultimate consumer are stored.

(a) Inspection program personnel office. Office space, including, but not limited to, furnishings, light, heat, and janitor service, will be provided without cost in the official plant for the use of inspection program personnel for official purposes. The room or space set apart for this purpose must meet the approval of the Food Safety and Inspection Service and be conveniently located, properly ventilated, and provided with lockers or file cabinets suitable for the protection and storage of supplies and with accommodations suitable for inspection program personnel to change clothing. At the discretion of the Administrator, small official plants requiring the services of less than one full-time inspector need not furnish accommodations for inspection program personnel as prescribed in this section where adequate accommodations exist in a nearby convenient location.

(b) Accommodations and equipment. Such accommodations and equipment must include, but not be limited to, a room or area suitable for sampling product and a stationary or adequately secured storage box or cage (capable of being locked only by inspection program personnel) for holding official samples.

The proprietor or operator of each official plant and official import inspection establishment must make application to the Administrator for inspection service unless exempted by § 590.100. The application must be made in writing on forms furnished by the inspection service. In cases of change of name or ownership or change of location, a new application must be made.

An application for inspection service will be regarded as filed only when it has been:

(a) Filled in completely;

(b) Signed by the applicant; and

(c) Received in the appropriate District Office.

Proof of authority of any person applying for inspection service may be required at the discretion of the Administrator.

(a) Before inspection is granted, FSIS will survey the official plant to determine if the construction and facilities of the plant are in accordance with the regulations in this part. FSIS will grant inspection, subject to § 500.7 of this chapter, when these requirements are met and the requirements contained in § 590.149 are met.

(b) FSIS will give notice in writing to each applicant granted inspection and will specify in the notice the official plant, including the limits of the plant's premises, to which the grant pertains.

(a) Before receiving Federal inspection, a plant must have developed written sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, in accordance with part 416 and § 591.1(a) of this chapter.

(b) Before receiving Federal inspection, a plant must conduct a hazard analysis, and develop and implement a HACCP plan, in accordance with part 417 and § 591.1(a) of this chapter. A conditional grant of inspection may be provided for a period not to exceed 90 days, during which period the facility must validate its HACCP plan.

(c) Before producing new product for distribution in commerce, a plant must conduct a hazard analysis and develop a HACCP plan applicable to that product, in accordance with § 417.2 of this chapter. During a period not to exceed 90 days after the date the new product is produced for distribution in commerce, the plant must validate its HACCP plan, in accordance with § 417.4 of this chapter.

An official plant number shall be assigned to each plant granted inspection service. Such plant number shall be used to identify all containers of inspected products prepared in the plant which are capable of use as human food. A plant shall not have more than one plant number.

Prior to the inauguration of service, the proprietor or operator of the plant shall be knowledgeable of the requirements of these regulations.

(a) Any applicant for inspection at a plant where the operations thereof may result in any discharge into the navigable waters in the United States is required by subsection 401(a)(1) (33 U.S.C. 1341) of the Clean Water Act as amended (86 Stat. 816, 91 Stat. 1566, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), to provide the Administrator with a certification, as prescribed in said subsection, that any such discharge will comply with the applicable provisions of sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307 of the Act (33 U.S.C. 1311, 1312, 1313, 1316, and 1317). No grant of inspection can be issued unless such certification has been obtained, or is waived, because failure of refusal of the State, interstate agency, or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to act on a request for certification within a reasonable period (which should not exceed 1 year after receipt of such a request). Further, upon receipt of an application for inspection and a certification as required by section 401(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act, the Administrator (as defined in § 590.5) is required by subparagraph (2) of said subsection to notify the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for proceedings in accordance with that subsection. No grant of inspection can be made until the requirements of section 401(a)(1) and (2) have been met.

(b) Inspection may be suspended or revoked and plant approval terminated as provided in section 401(a)(4) and (5) of the Clean Water Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1341(a)(4) and (5)).

When inspection service is not performed at any plant for a period of at least 90 days, plant approval shall terminate upon notice by the Administrator without further proceedings; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to any plant where the Administrator determines that such a plant operates on a seasonal basis and the inspection service has not been used as a result of such seasonal operation, or where operations have ceased due to extraordinary circumstances determined by the Administrator as not warranting termination of plant approval.

(a) Persons engaged in the transporting, shipping, or receiving of any eggs or egg products in commerce, or holding such articles so received, and all egg handlers, except producer-packers with an annual egg production from a flock of 3,000 layers or fewer, must maintain records documenting, for a period of 2 years, the following, to the extent applicable:

(1) The date of lay, date and time of refrigeration, date of receipt, quantity and quality of eggs purchased or received, and from whom (including a complete address, unless a master list is maintained). Process records documenting that the temperature and labeling requirements in § 590.50(a) have been met must also be kept;

(2) The date of packaging, ambient air temperature surrounding product stored after processing, quantity and quality of eggs delivered or sold, and to whom (including a complete address, unless a master list is maintained);

(3) If a consecutive lot numbering system is not employed to identify individual eggs, containers of eggs, or egg products, record the alternative code system used, in accordance with § 590.411(c)(3);

(4) The date of disposal and quantity of restricted eggs, including inedible egg product or incubator reject product, sold or given away for animal food or other uses or otherwise disposed of, and to whom (including a complete address, unless a master list is maintained);

(5) The individual or composite (running tally) record of restricted egg sales to household consumers. Records should show number of dozens sold on a daily basis. The name and address of the consumer is not required;

(6) The date of production and quantity of egg products delivered or sold, and to whom (including a complete address, unless a master list is maintained);

(7) The date of receipt and quantity of egg products purchased or received, and from whom (including a complete address, unless a master list is maintained);

(8) The production records by categories of eggs such as graded eggs, nest-run eggs, dirties, checks, etc.; bills of sale, inventories, receipts, shipments, shippers, receivers, dates of shipment and receipt, carrier names, etc.

(b) All records required to be maintained by this section must be made available to an authorized representative of the Secretary for official review and copying.

(c) Records of all labeling, along with the product formulation and processing procedures as prescribed in §§ 590.410 through 590.412, must be kept by every person processing, except processors exempted under § 590.100.

When inspection service is performed at any plant, the plant operator shall furnish the inspector such information and assistance as may be required for the performance of inspection functions, preparing certificates, reports, and for other official duties.

Whenever any eggs or egg products subject to the Act are found by any authorized representative of the Secretary upon any premises, and there is reason to believe that they are or have been processed, bought, sold, possessed, used, transported, or offered or received for sale or transportation in violation of the Act or the regulations in this part, or that they are in any other way in violation of the Act, such articles may be detained by such representative for a period not to exceed 20 days, as more fully provided in section 19 of the Act. A detention tag or other similar device shall be used to identify detained product, and the custodian or owner shall be given a written notice of such detention. Only authorized representatives of the Secretary shall affix or remove detention identification. The provisions of this section shall in no way derogate from authority for condemnation or seizure conferred by other provisions of the Act, the regulations in this part, or other laws.

Any person receiving inspection service may, if dissatisfied with any decision or action of an inspector or other Agency employee relating to any inspection, file an appeal from such decision or action in accordance with 9 CFR 500.9.

Any appeal from the inspection decision by inspection program personnel must be made to the immediate supervisor having jurisdiction over the subject matter of the appeal in accordance with 9 CFR 500.9.

The request for an appeal inspection or review of inspection program personnel's decision may be made orally or in writing. If made orally, written confirmation may be required. The applicant must clearly identify the product involved, the decision being appealed, and the reasons for requesting the appeal.

When it appears to the official with whom an appeal request is filed that the reasons given in the request are frivolous or not substantial, or that the condition of the product has undergone a material change since the original inspection, or that the original lot has changed in some manner, or the Act or the regulations in this part have not been complied with, the applicant's request for the appeal inspection may be refused. In such case, the applicant shall be promptly notified of the reason(s) for such refusal.

An appeal inspection or review of inspection program personnel's decisions, as requested in § 590.310, must be performed by inspection program personnel of FSIS other than the one who made the initial decision.

A condition appeal sample will consist of product taken from the original sample containers plus an equal number of containers selected at random. A condition appeal cannot be made unless all originally sampled containers are available.

All certificates shall be issued on forms approved by the Administrator.

(a) Upon request of the applicant or the Service, any inspector is authorized to issue an egg products inspection certificate with respect to any lot of egg products inspected by him. In addition, an inspector is authorized to issue an inspection certificate covering product inspected in whole or in part by another inspector when the inspector has knowledge that the product is eligible for certification based on personal examination of the product or official inspection records.

(b) Each egg products inspection certificate shall show the name and address of the processor, the class and quantity of the egg products covered by such certificate, such shipping marks as are necessary to identify such products, all pertinent information concerning the wholesomeness thereof, and such other information as the Administrator may prescribe or approve.

Erasures or alterations shall be initialed by the issuing inspector on the original certificate and any copy thereof. All certificates made useless through clerical error or otherwise and all certificates canceled for whatever cause shall be voided and initialed and the original and all other copies shall be forwarded as prescribed by the Administrator.

The original and up to two copies of each official certificate shall be issued to the applicant or person designated by him. Other copies shall be filed and retained in accordance with the disposition schedule for inspection program records.

(a) Exporters must apply for export certification of inspected and passed products shipped to any foreign country. Exporters may apply for an export certificate using a paper or electronic application. FSIS will assess exporters that submit an electronic application the charge in § 592.500(d) of this chapter.

(b) FSIS will issue only one certificate for each consignment, except in the case of error in the certificate or loss of the certificate originally issued. A request for a replacement certificate, except in the case of a lost certificate, must be accompanied by the original certificate. The new certificate will carry the following statement: “Issued in replacement of ______”, with the numbers of the certificates that have been superseded.

(c) FSIS will deliver a copy of the export certificate to the person who requested such certificate or his agent. Such persons may duplicate the certificate as required in connection with the exportation of the product.

(d) FSIS will retain a copy of the certificate.

(e)(1) When authorized by inspection personnel, establishments must mark the outside container of any inspected and passed egg products destined for export, the securely enclosed pallet within the consignment, or closed means of conveyance transporting the consignment, with a mark that contains a unique identifier that links the consignment to the export certificate or an official mark with the following form: 1

(2) Ship stores, small quantities exclusively for the personal use of the consignee and not for sale or distribution, and shipments by and for the U.S. Armed Forces, are exempt from the requirements of this section.

(f) Exporters may request inspection personnel to issue certificates for export consignments of product of official establishments not under their supervision, provided the consignments are first identified as having been “U.S. inspected and passed,” are found to be neither adulterated nor misbranded, and are marked as required by paragraph (e) of this section.

(a)(1) Packaged egg products that require special handling to maintain their wholesome condition must have the statement “Keep Refrigerated,” “Keep Frozen,” “Perishable Keep Under Refrigeration,” or such similar statement prominently displayed on the principal display panel.

(2) Egg products that are distributed frozen and thawed prior to or during display for sale at retail must bear the statement “Keep Frozen” on the shipping container. Consumer-sized containers for such egg products must bear the statement “Previously Handled Frozen for Your Protection, Refreeze or Keep Refrigerated.”

(3) The labels of packages of egg products produced from shell eggs that have been treated with ionizing radiation must reflect that treatment in the ingredient statement on the finished product labeling.

(b) Containers, portable tanks, and bulk shipments of edible egg products produced in official plants must be labeled in accordance with §§ 590.411 through 590.415 and must bear the official identification shown in Figure 1 of § 590.413.

(c) Bulk shipments of unpasteurized egg products and microbial pathogen-positive egg products produced in official plants must bear a label containing the words “date of loading,” followed by a suitable space in which the date the container, tanker truck, or portable tank is loaded must be inserted. The label must be conspicuously located and printed and affixed on material that cannot be detached or effaced due to exposure to weather. Before the truck or tank is removed from the place where it is unloaded, the carrier must remove or obliterate the label. Such shipments must also bear the official identification shown in Figure 2 of § 590.415.

(a) All official plants, including official plants certified under a foreign inspection system in accordance with § 590.910, must comply with the requirements contained in § 412.1 of this chapter, except as otherwise provided in this part.

(b) For the purposes of § 412.1 of this chapter, an official establishment or establishment certified under a foreign inspection system includes an official plant.

(c) Labels, containers, or packaging materials of egg products must show the following information, as applicable, on the principal display panel (except as otherwise permitted in this part), in accordance with the requirements of this part, or if applicable, 21 CFR 101.17(h):

(1) A statement showing by the common or usual names, if any, of the kinds of ingredients comprising the product. Formulas are to be expressed in terms of a liquid product except for product that is dry-blended. Also, for product to be dried, the label may show the ingredients in order of descending proportions by weight in the dried form. However, the formula submitted must include the percentage of ingredients in both liquid and dried form. If the product is comprised of two or more ingredients, such ingredients must be listed in the order of descending proportions by weight in the form in which the product is to be marketed (sold), except that ingredients in dried product (other than dry blended) may be listed in either liquid or dried form. When water (excluding that used to reconstitute dehydrated ingredients back to their normal composition) is added to a liquid or frozen egg product or to an ingredient of such products (in excess of the normal water content of that ingredient), the total amount of water added, including the water content of any cellulose or vegetable gums used, must be expressed as a percentage of the total product weight in the ingredient statement on the label;

(2) The name, address and zip code of the distributor; qualified by such terms as “distributed by,” or “distributors”;

(3) The lot number or an alternative code indicating the date of production, in accordance with § 590.200(a);

(4) The net contents;

(5) An official inspection symbol and the number of the official plant in which the product was processed under inspection as set forth in § 590.413;

(6) Egg products processed from edible eggs of turkeys, ducks, geese, or guineas must be clearly and distinctly labeled with the common or usual name of the product and indicating the type of eggs or egg products used in the product, e.g., “Frozen whole turkey eggs,” “Frozen whole chicken and turkey eggs.” Egg products labeled without qualifying words as to the type of egg used in the product must be produced only from the edible egg of the domesticated chicken.

(7) Egg products which are produced in an official plant from edible shell eggs of other than current production or from other egg products of shell eggs of other than current product must be clearly and distinctly labeled in close proximity to the common or usual name of the product, e.g., Manufactured from eggs of other than current production.”

(d) Liquid or frozen egg products identified as whole eggs and processed in other than natural proportions as broken from the shell must have a total egg solids content of 24.20 percent or greater.

(e) Nutrition information may be included on labels used to identify egg products, providing such labeling complies with the provisions of 21 CFR part 101, promulgated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act. Since these regulations have different requirements for consumer-packaged products than for bulk packaged egg products not for sale or distribution to household consumers, label submission must be accompanied with information indicating whether the label covers consumer packaged or bulk packaged products. Nutrition labeling is required when nutrients, such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals are added to the product, or when a nutritional claim or information is presented on the labeling, except for the following, which are exempt from nutrition labeling requirements:

(1) Egg products shipped in bulk form for use solely in the manufacture of other food and not for distribution to household consumers in such bulk form or containers.

(2) Products containing an added vitamin, mineral, or protein, or for which a nutritional claim is made on the label, or in advertising, which is supplied for institutional food use only, provided that the manufacturer or distributor provides the required nutrition information directly to those institutions.

(3) Any nutrients included in the product solely for technological purposes may be declared solely in the ingredients statement, without complying with nutrition labeling, if the nutrient(s) is otherwise not referred to in labeling or in advertising. All labels showing nutrition information or claims are subject to review by the Food and Drug Administration prior to approval by the Department.

(f)(1) No label, container, or packaging material may contain any statement that is false or misleading. If the Administrator has reason to believe that a statement or formulation shows that an egg product is adulterated or misbranded, or that any labeling, including the size or form of any container in use or proposed for use, with respect to eggs or egg products, is false or misleading in any way, the Administrator may direct that such use be withdrawn unless the labeling or container is modified in such a manner as the Administrator may prescribe so that it will not be false or misleading, or the formulation of the product is altered in such a manner as the Administrator may prescribe so that it is not adulterated or would not cause misbranding.

(2) If the Administrator directs that the use of any label, container, or packaging material be withdrawn because it contains any statement that is false or misleading, an opportunity for a hearing will be provided in accordance with § 500.8(c) of this chapter.

(a) All official plants, including official plants certified under a foreign inspection system in accordance with § 590.910, may comply with the requirements in § 412.2 of this chapter.

(b) For the purposes of § 412.2 of this chapter, an official establishment or establishment certified under a foreign inspection system includes an official plant.

The shield set forth in Figure 1 of this section containing the letters “USDA” must be the official identification symbol used in connection with egg products to denote that the official plant receives official inspection service. The inspection mark used on containers of edible egg products is set forth in Figure 1 of this section, except that the plant number may be preceded by the letter “G” in lieu of the word plant. The plant number may also be omitted from the official mark if applied on the container's principal display panel or other prominent location and preceded by the letter “G.” 76

Egg products which are permitted to bear the inspection mark shall be processed in an official plant from edible shell eggs or other edible egg products and may contain other edible ingredients. The official mark shall be printed or lithographed and applied as a part of the principal display panel of the container but shall not be applied to a detachable cover.

All unpasteurized or microbial pathogen-positive egg products shipped from an official plant must be marked with the identification set forth in Figure 1 of this section. Such product must meet all requirements for egg products that are permitted to bear the official inspection mark shown in § 590.413, except for pasteurization, heat treatment, or other method of treatment sufficient to produce egg products that are edible without additional preparation to achieve food safety. Such product must not be released into consumer channels until it has been subjected to pasteurization, heat treatment, or other method of treatment sufficient to produce egg products that are edible without additional preparation to achieve food safety. After pasteurization or treatment, the product may bear the official inspection mark as shown in § 590.413. 77

(a) Containers or labels which bear official identification approved for use pursuant to § 590.411 shall be used only for the purpose for which approved. Any unauthorized use or disposition of approved containers or labels which bear any official identification may result in cancellation of the approval and denial of the use of containers or labels bearing official identification and may subject such violator to the penalties and denial of the benefits of the Act;

(b) The use of simulations or imitations of any official identification by any person is prohibited;

(c) Upon termination of inspection service in an official plant pursuant to these regulations, all labels or packaging materials indicating product packed by the plant which bear official identification shall either be destroyed under the supervision of the Service or, if used in another location, modified in a manner acceptable to the Service before use.

Affixing of official identification. No official identification shall be, or caused to be affixed to or placed on any product or container except by an inspector or under the supervision of an inspector or other person authorized by the Administrator. All such products shall have been inspected in accordance with these regulations. The inspector shall have supervision over the use and handling of all material bearing any official identification.

The reuse, by any person, of containers bearing official identification is prohibited unless such identification is applicable in all respects to product being packed therein. In such instances, the container and label may be used provided the packaging is accomplished under the supervision of an inspector and the container is in compliance with § 590.504(k).

(a) Inspection shall be made, pursuant to the regulations in this part, of the processing of egg products in each official plant processing egg products for commerce, unless exempted under § 590.100. Inspections, certifications, or specification-type gradings, and other inspections which may be requested by the official plant and are in addition to the normal inspection requirements and functions for the processing, production, or certification for a wholesome egg product under this part, shall be made pursuant to the voluntary egg products inspection regulations (part 592 of this chapter).

(b) Any food manufacturing establishment or institution which uses any eggs that do not meet the requirements of 21 U.S.C. 1044(a)(1) in the preparation of any articles for human food shall be deemed to be a plant processing egg products requiring inspection under the regulations in this part.

(c) Any product which is prepared under inspection in an official plant shall be inspected in such plant as often as the inspector deems necessary in order to ascertain if the product is unadulterated, wholesome, properly labeled, and fit for human food at the time it leaves the plant. Upon any such inspection, if any product or portion thereof is found to be adulterated, unwholesome, or otherwise unfit for human food, such product or portion thereof shall be condemned and shall receive such treatment as provided in § 590.422.

Eggs and egg products found to be adulterated at official plants shall be condemned and, if no appeal be taken from such determination of condemnation, such articles shall be destroyed for human food purposes under the supervision of an inspector: Provided, That articles which may by reprocessing be made not adulterated need not be condemned and destroyed if so reprocessed under the supervision of an inspector and thereafter found to be not adulterated. If an appeal is requested, the eggs or egg products shall be appropriately marked and segregated pending completion of an appeal inspection.

(a) No egg product may be brought into an official plant except as provided in § 590.430(b) unless it has been prepared and handled in accordance with these regulations, and the container of such product is marked so as to identify the article as so inspected in accordance with this part.

(b) All egg products brought into any official plant shall be identified by the operator of the official plant at the time of receipt at the official plant and shall be subject to reinspection by inspection program personnel at the official plant in such manner and at such times as may be deemed necessary to ensure compliance with the regulations in this part. Upon reinspection, if any such product or portion of it is found to be unsound, unwholesome, adulterated, or otherwise unfit for human food, such product or portion shall be condemned and shall receive such treatment as provided in § 590.422, and shall, in the case of other products, be disposed of according to applicable law.

Retention tags or other devices and methods as may be approved by the Administrator shall be used for the identification and control of products which are not in compliance with the regulations or are held for further examination, and any equipment, utensils, rooms or compartments which are found to be unclean or otherwise in violation of the regulations. No product, equipment, utensil, room, or compartment shall be released for use until it has been made acceptable. Such identification shall not be removed by anyone other than an inspector.

(a) The Administrator shall limit the entry of eggs and egg products and other materials into official plants under such conditions as he may prescribe to assure that allowing the entry of such articles will be consistent with the purposes of the Act and these regulations.

(b) Inedible egg products may be brought into an official plant for storage, processing, and reshipment provided they are handled in such a manner that adequate segregation and inventory controls are maintained at all times. The processing of inedible egg products must be done under conditions that will not affect the processing of edible products, such as processing in separate areas or at times when no edible products are being processed. If the same equipment or areas are used to process both inedible and edible eggs, then the equipment and processing areas used to process inedible eggs must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized prior to processing any edible egg products.

(a)(1) No substance which is a “food additive” as defined under 21 U.S.C. 321(s), including sources of radiation, may be used in the processing of egg products unless this use is authorized under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

(2) No substance which is intended to impart color in any egg product may be used unless such use is authorized under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

(3) Substances and ingredients used in the processing of egg products capable of use as human food must be clean, wholesome, and unadulterated.

(b) Substances permitted for use in egg products in subsection(a) will be permitted for such use under this chapter, subject to declaration requirements in § 424.22(c) of this chapter and § 590.411, unless precluded from such use or further restricted in this chapter. Such substances must be safe and effective under conditions of use and not result in the adulteration of product. The Administrator may require, in addition to listing the ingredients, a declaration of the additive and the purpose of its use.

(c) Substances to be used in the processing of egg products must be safe under the conditions of their intended use and in amounts sufficient to accomplish their intended purpose. Such substances may not promote deception or cause the product to be otherwise adulterated or unwholesome. Scientific data showing the additive meets the above specified criteria must be maintained and made available to FSIS inspection program personnel.

(a) Ova from slaughtered poultry may be brought into the official plant for processing: Provided, That the ova is from wholesome poultry inspected in a plant operating under the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) and such product is harvested in a sanitary manner, properly handled, cooled, packaged and labeled: And provided further, That such product is wholesome and the containers of such product bear official identification which assures the provisions of this paragraph have been met.

(b) The ova and products containing ova shall be processed, cooled, and pasteurized in the official plant in the same manner as liquid, frozen, or dried yolk products.

(c) All products containing ova must be labeled in accordance with § 590.411.

(a) Operations involving the processing, storing, and handling of eggs, ingredients, and egg products must be done in a sanitary manner.

(b)(1) Eggs and egg products are subject to inspection in each official plant processing egg products for commerce.

(2) Any eggs and egg products not processed in accordance with the regulations in this part or part 591 or that are not otherwise fit for human food must be removed and segregated.

(c)(1) All loss and inedible eggs or inedible egg products must be placed in a container clearly labeled “inedible” and containing a sufficient amount of denaturant or decharacterant, such as an FDA-approved color additive, suspended in the product. Eggs must be crushed and the substance dispersed through the product in amounts sufficient to give the product a distinctive appearance or odor. Inedible product may be held in containers clearly labeled “inedible” which do not contain a denaturant as long as such inedible product is properly packaged, labeled and segregated, and inventory controls are maintained. Such inedible product must be denatured or decharacterized before being shipped from a facility.

(2) Undenatured egg products or inedible egg products that are not decharacterized may be shipped from an official plant for industrial use or animal food, provided that it is properly packaged, labeled, and segregated, and inventory controls are maintained.

(d)(1) Egg products must be processed to meet the standard set out in § 590.570.

(2) Unpasteurized or microbial pathogen-positive egg products may be shipped from an official plant to another official plant only when they are to be pasteurized, heat treated, or treated using other methods of treatment sufficient to produce egg products that are edible without additional preparation to achieve food safety in the second official plant. Official plants must maintain control of shipments of unpasteurized or microbial pathogen-positive egg products shipped from one official plant to another official plant for pasteurization or treatment. Shipping plants must seal such shipments in cars or trucks and label them in accordance with § 590.410(c). Containers of unpasteurized or microbial pathogen-positive egg product must be marked with the identification mark shown in Figure 2 of § 590.415.

(e) Inspection program personnel may allow an official plant to move egg products that have been sampled and analyzed for Salmonella, or for any other reason, before receiving the test results, if they do not suspect noncompliance by the plant with any provisions of this part. The official plant must maintain control of the products represented by the sample pending the results.

Eggs must be handled in a manner that minimizes sweating prior to breaking or processing.

(a) The eggs must be sorted and classified into the following categories:

(1) Eggs listed in paragraph (d) of this section.

(2) Dirty.

(3) Leakers as described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section.

(4) Eggs from other than chicken; duck, turkey, guinea, and goose eggs.

(5) Other eggs—satisfactory for use as breaking stock.

(b) Shell eggs having strong odors or eggs received in cases having strong odors shall be candled and broken separately to determine their acceptability.

(c) Shell eggs, when presented for breaking, shall be of edible interior quality and the shell shall be sound and free of adhering dirt and foreign material, except that:

(1) When presented for breaking, eggs must have an edible interior quality and the shell must be sound and free of adhering dirt and foreign material. However, checks and eggs with a portion of the shell missing may be used when the shell is free of adhering dirt and foreign material and the shell membranes are not ruptured.

(2) Eggs with clean shells which are damaged in candling and/or transfer and have a portion of the shell and shell membranes missing may be used only when the yolk is unbroken and the contents of the egg are not exuding over the outside shell. Such eggs shall be placed in leaker trays and be broken promptly.

(3) Eggs with meat or blood spots may be used if the spots are removed.

(d) All loss or inedible eggs must be placed in a designated container and handled as required in § 590.504(c). Eggs extensively damaged during breaking, whether not completely cracked open mechanically or in the movement of trays of eligible eggs for hand breaking, must be broken promptly. For the purpose of this section and § 590.522, inedible and loss eggs include crusted yolks, filthy and decomposed eggs, and the following:

(1) Any egg with visible foreign matter other than removable blood and meat spots in the egg meat.

(2) Any egg with a portion of the shell and shell membranes missing and with egg meat adhering to or in contact with the outside of the shell.

(3) Any egg with dirt or foreign material adhering to the shell and with cracks in the shell and shell membranes.

(4) Liquid egg recovered from shell egg containers and leaker trays.

(5) Open leakers made in the washing operation.

(6) Any egg which shows evidence that the contents are or have been exuding prior to transfer from the case.

(e) Incubator reject eggs shall not be brought into the official plant.

(a) All eggs, except as provided in § 590.801, must be clean prior to packaging, breaking, or pasteurizing. If a sanitizer is used, it must be used in accordance with FDA requirements for the intended use.

(b) Shell eggs shall be sufficiently dry at time of breaking to prevent contamination or adulteration of the liquid egg product from free moisture on the shell.

Each egg used in processed egg products must be broken in a sanitary manner and examined to ensure that the contents are acceptable for human consumption.

Freezing rooms, either on or off the premises, must be capable of solidly freezing, or reducing to a temperature of 10 °F or lower, all liquid egg products.

Pasteurized egg products must be produced to be edible without additional preparation to achieve food safety and may receive additional preparation for palatability or aesthetic, epicurean, gastronomic, or culinary purposes. Pasteurized egg products are not required to bear a safe-handling instruction or other labeling that directs that the product must be cooked or otherwise treated for safety.

(a) Official plants must test to determine that the production of egg products is in compliance with the Act and the egg products inspection regulations.

(b) To ensure adequate pasteurization:

(1) Pasteurized liquid, frozen, and dried egg products, and heat treated dried egg whites must be sampled and analyzed for the presence of Salmonella spp. Such testing by the official plant must be performed in a manner sufficient such that it is possible for the official plant to verify that the system is capable of eliminating Salmonella spp. at the time that the annual reassessment occurs, and as regularly as necessary between annual reassessments, to show that the system, when tested, is working.

(2) Samples must be analyzed for the presence of Salmonella spp. with such frequency and using such laboratory methods as is sufficient to ensure that product is not adulterated. For each category of product, sampling should be conducted on a rotating basis.

(3) Samples must be drawn from the final packaged form.

(c) Results of all partial and completed analyses performed under paragraph (b) of this section must be provided to inspection program personnel promptly upon receipt by the official plant. Positive test results must be provided to inspection program personnel immediately upon receipt by the official plant.

Irradiated shell eggs used to produce pasteurized egg products must be used in conjunction with heat or another lethality treatment sufficient to produce egg products that are edible without additional preparation to achieve food safety. Unless otherwise approved by FDA, the irradiation treatment of the shell eggs must precede the heat or other lethality treatment applied to the egg products.

(a) No person may buy, sell, or transport, or offer to buy or sell, or offer or receive for transportation in any business in commerce any restricted eggs capable of use as human food, except as authorized in §§ 590.100 or 590.720.

(b) No egg handler may possess with the intent to use, or use, any restricted eggs in the preparation of human food, except as provided in §§ 590.100 or 590.720.

(a) Except as exempted in § 590.100, eggs classified as checks, dirts, incubator rejects, inedibles, leakers, or loss must be disposed of by one of the following methods at the point and time of segregation:

(1) Checks and dirts must be labeled in accordance with § 590.800 and shipped to an official plant for segregation and processing. Inedible and loss eggs must not be intermingled in the same container with checks and dirts.

(2) By destruction in a manner that clearly identifies the products as being inedible and not for human consumption, such as crushing and denaturing or decharacterizing in accordance with § 590.504(c)(1). The products must also be identified as “Inedible Egg Product-Not To Be Used As Human Food.”

(3) Processing for industrial use or for animal food. Such products must be handled in accordance with § 590.504(c) and identified as provided in §§ 590.840 and 590.860, or properly handled in a manner that clearly identifies the products as being inedible and not for human consumption and does not adulterate egg product intended for human consumption.

(4) By coloring the shells of loss and inedible eggs with a sufficient amount of an FDA-approved color additive to give a distinct appearance or applying a substance that will penetrate the shell and decharacterize the contents of the egg. However, lots of eggs containing significant percentages of eggs having small to medium blood spots or meat spots, but no other types of loss or inedible eggs, may be shipped directly to official plants, provided they are conspicuously labeled with the name and address of the shipper and the wording “Spots—For Processing Only In Official Egg Products Plants.”

(5) Incubator rejects must be broken or crushed and denatured or decharacterized in accordance with § 590.504(c)(1) and labeled as required in §§ 590.840 and 590.860.

(b) Eggs that are packed for the ultimate consumer and have been found to exceed the tolerance for restricted eggs permitted in the official standards for U.S. Consumer Grade B but have not been shipped for retail sale must be identified as required in §§ 590.800 and 590.860 and must be shipped directly or indirectly:

(1) To an official plant for proper segregation and processing; or

(2) Be re-graded so that they comply with the official standards; or

(3) Used as other than human food.

(c) Records must be maintained as provided in § 590.200 to ensure proper disposition.

The shipping container of restricted eggs shall be determined to be satisfactorily identified if such container bears the packer's name and address, the quality of the eggs in the container (e.g., dirties, checks, inedibles, or loss), or the statement “Restricted Eggs—For Processing Only In An Official USDA Egg Products Plant,” for checks or dirties, or “Restricted Eggs—Not To Be Used As Human Food,” for inedibles, loss, and incubator rejects, or “Restricted Eggs—To Be Regraded” for graded eggs which contain more restricted eggs than are allowed in the official standards for U.S. Consumer Grade B shell eggs. The size of the letters of the identification wording shall be as required in § 590.860.

Nest-run or washed ungraded eggs are exempt from the labeling provisions in § 590.800. However, when such eggs are sold to consumers, they may not exceed the tolerance for restricted eggs for U.S. Consumer Grade B shell eggs.

All inedible, unwholesome, or adulterated egg products shall be identified with the name and address of the processor, the words “Inedible Egg Products—Not To Be Used as Human Food.”

The letters of the identification wording shall be legible and conspicuous.