(a) When used in this subpart, the following terms will be construed to mean:

(1) Import (Imported). To bring within the territorial limits of the United States, whether that arrival is accomplished by land, air, or water.

(2) Offer(ed) for entry. The point at which the importer presents the imported product for reinspection.

(3) Entry (entered) means the point at which imported product offered for entry receives reinspection and is marked with the official mark of inspection, as required by § 590.940.

(4) Official Import Inspection Establishment. This term means any establishment, other than an official establishment as defined in § 301.2 of this chapter, where inspections are authorized to be conducted as prescribed in § 590.925.

(b) No egg products may be imported into the United States unless they are healthful, wholesome, fit for human food, not adulterated, and contain no dye, chemical, preservative, or ingredient which renders them unhealthful, unwholesome, unadulterated, or unfit for human food. Such products must also comply with the regulations prescribed in this subpart to ensure that they adhere to the standards provided for in the Act. The provisions of this subpart will apply to these products only if they are capable for use as human food.

(c) Approval for Federal import inspection must be in accordance with §§ 590.140 through 590.149.

(d) Egg products may be imported only if they are processed solely in the countries listed in § 590.910(b).

(a) All egg products, after entry into the United States in compliance with this subpart, will be deemed and treated and, except as provided in §§ 590.935 and 590.960, will be handled and transported as domestic product, and will be subject to the applicable provisions of this part and to the provisions of the Egg Products Inspection Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

(b) Imported egg products entered in accordance with this subpart may, subject to the provisions of the regulations, be taken into official plants and be mixed with or added to egg products that are inspected and passed or exempted from inspection in such plants.

(c) Imported egg products that have been inspected and passed under this subpart may be transported in commerce only upon compliance with the applicable regulations.

(a) No containers of restricted eggs other than checks or dirties will be imported into the United States. The shipping containers of such eggs shall be identified with the name, address, and country of origin of the exporter, and the date of pack and the quality of the eggs (e.g., checks or dirties) preceded by the word “Imported” or the statement “Imported Restricted Eggs—For Processing Only In An Official USDA Plant,” or “Restricted Eggs—Not To Be Used As Human Food.” Such identification shall be legible and conspicuous.

(b) For properly sealed and certified shipments of shell eggs for breaking at an official egg products plant, the containers need not be labeled, provided that the shipment is segregated and controlled upon arrival at the destination breaking plant.

(a) Whenever it is determined by the Administrator that the system of egg products inspection maintained by any foreign country is such that the egg products produced in such country are processed, labeled, and packaged in accordance with, and otherwise comply with, the standards of the Act and these regulations including, but not limited to the same sanitary, processing, facility requirements, and Government inspection as required in §§ 590.500 through 590.580 applicable to inspected articles produced within the United States, notice of that fact will be given according to paragraph (b) of this section. Thereafter, egg products from such countries shall be eligible for importation into the United States subject to the provisions of this part and other applicable laws and regulations. Such product must meet, to the extent applicable, the same standards and requirements that apply to comparable domestic product as set forth in these regulations. Egg products from foreign countries not deemed eligible in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section are not eligible for importation into the United States, except as provided by § 590.960. In determining if the inspection system of a foreign country is the equivalent of the system maintained in the United States, the Administrator shall review the inspection regulations of the foreign country and make a survey to determine the manner in which the inspection systems are administered within the foreign country. After approval of the inspection system of a foreign country, the Administrator may, as often and to the extent deemed necessary, authorize representatives of the Department to review the system to determine that it is maintained in such a manner as to be the equivalent of the system maintained by the United States.

(b) A list of countries eligible to export egg products to the United States is maintained at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/importlibrary.

(a) Except as provided in §§ 590.960 and 590.965, each consignment imported into the United States must have an electronic foreign inspection certification or a paper foreign inspection certificate issued by an official of the foreign government agency responsible for the inspection and certification of the product.

(b) An official of the foreign government agency must certify that any product described on any official certificate was produced in accordance with the regulatory requirements of § 590.910.

(c) The electronic foreign inspection certification must be in English, be transmitted directly to FSIS before the product's arrival at the official import inspection establishment and be available to inspection program personnel.

(d) The paper foreign inspection certificate must accompany each consignment; be submitted to inspection program personnel at the official import inspection establishment; be in English; and bear the official seal of the foreign government responsible for the inspection of the product, and the name, title, and signature of the official authorized to issue the inspection certificates for products imported into the United States.

(e) The electronic foreign inspection certification and paper foreign inspection certificate must contain:

(1) The date;

(2) The foreign country of export and the producing foreign establishment number;

(3) The species used to produce the product and the source country and foreign establishment number, if the source materials originate from a country other than the exporting country;

(4) The product's description including the process category, the product category, and the product group;

(5) The name and address of the importer or consignee;

(6) The name and address of the exporter or consignor;

(7) The number of units (pieces or containers) and the shipping or identification mark on the units;

(8) The net weight of each lot; and

(9) Any additional information the Administrator requests to determine whether the product is eligible to be imported into the United States.

(a) Applicants must submit an import inspection application to apply for the inspection of any product offered for entry. Applicants may apply for inspection using a paper or electronic application form.

(b) Import inspection applications for each consignment must be submitted (electronically or on paper) to FSIS in advance of the shipment's arrival at the official import establishment where the product will be reinspected, but no later than when the entry is filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

(c) The provisions of this section do not apply to products that are exempted from inspection by §§ 590.960 and 590.965.

(a)(1) Except as provided in §§ 590.960 and 590.965 and paragraph (b) of this section, egg products offered for entry from any foreign country must be reinspected at an official import inspection establishment or official plant by inspection program personnel before they may be allowed entry into the United States.

(2) Every lot of product must routinely be given visual reinspection by inspection program personnel for appearance and condition and be checked for certification and label compliance as provided in §§ 590.915, 590.950, and 590.955.

(3) Inspection program personnel must consult the electronic inspection system for reinspection instructions. The electronic inspection system will assign reinspection levels and procedures based on established sampling plans and established product and plant history.

(b) Inspection program personnel may take, without cost to the United States, from each consignment of egg product offered for entry, such samples of the products as are deemed necessary to determine the eligibility of the products for entry into commerce of the United States.

(a) No egg products required by this subpart to be inspected will be released from customs custody prior to required inspections, but such product may be delivered to the importer, or his agent, prior to inspection, if the importer furnishes a bond, in a form prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, on the condition that the product must be returned, if demanded, to the collector of the port where the product was offered for clearance through customs.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this section, no product required by this subpart to be inspected will be moved prior to inspection from the port of arrival where first unloaded, and if arriving by water from the wharf where first unloaded at such port, to any place other than the place designated in accordance with this part as the place where the product must be inspected; and no product will be conveyed in any manner other than in compliance with this subpart.

(c) The importer, or his agent, must furnish such equipment and must provide such assistance for handling and inspecting, where applicable, egg products offered for entry as the program inspector may require.

(d) Official import inspection establishments must provide buildings and equipment that meet the sanitation requirements contained in part 416 of this chapter.

(a) Compartments of means of conveyance transporting any egg products to the United States, and all chutes, platforms, racks, tables, tools, utensils, and all other devices used in moving and handling any egg products offered for entry into the United States, must be maintained in accordance with part 416.4 of this chapter.

(b) All conveyances containing imported liquid egg products must be sealed by inspection authorities in the exporting country. Seals may be broken at U.S. port-of-entry for purposes of inspection by program inspectors or customs officers.

(a) Except for products offered for entry from Canada, egg products that upon reinspection are found to be acceptable for entry into the United States must be identified as “U.S. Inspected and Passed” product. The official inspection legend shown in paragraph (b) of this section will identify product only after completion of official import inspection and product acceptance.

(b) The official mark for identifying egg products offered for entry as “U.S. Inspected and Passed” must be in the following form, and any device approved by the Administrator for applying such mark must be an official device. 1

(c) Owners or operators of plants, other than official plants, who want to have import inspections made at their plants, must apply to the Administrator for approval of their establishments for such purpose. Application must be made on a form furnished by the Program, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, and must include all information called for by that form.

(d) No brand manufacturer or other person will cast or otherwise make, without an official certificate issued by inspection program personnel, a brand or other marking device containing an official inspection legend, or simulation thereof, as shown in § 590.940(b).

(e) The inspection legend may be placed on containers of product before completion of the official import inspection if the containers are being inspected by inspection program personnel who report directly to a program supervisor, the product is not required to be held at the official import inspection establishment pending receipt of laboratory test results, and a written procedure for the controlled stamping, submitted by the official import inspection establishment and approved by the Food Safety and Inspection Service, is on file at the import inspection location where the inspection is to be performed.

(f)(1) The written procedure for the controlled release and identification of product should be in the form of a letter and must include the following:

(i) That stamping under this subpart is limited to those lots of product that can be inspected on the day that certificates for the product are examined;

(ii) That all products that have been pre-stamped will be stored in the facility where the import inspection will occur;

(iii) That inspection marks applied under this part will be removed from any lot of product subsequently refused entry on the day the product is rejected; and

(iv) That the establishment will maintain a daily stamping log containing the following information for each lot of product: The date of inspection, the country of origin, the foreign establishment number, the product name, the number of units, the shipping container marks and foreign inspection certificate number covering the product to be inspected. The daily log must be retained by the establishment in accordance with § 590.200.

(2) An establishment's controlled program privilege may be cancelled orally or in writing by the inspector who is supervising its enforcement whenever the inspector finds that the establishment has failed to comply with the provisions of this subpart or any conditions imposed pursuant thereto. If the cancellation is oral, the decision and the reasons for it must be confirmed in writing, as promptly as circumstances allow. Any person whose controlled pre-stamping program privilege has been cancelled may appeal the decision to the Administrator, in writing, within ten (10) days after receiving written notification of the cancellation. The appeal must state all of the facts and reasons upon which the person relies to show that the controlled program was wrongfully cancelled. The Administrator will grant or deny the appeal, in writing, stating the reasons for such decision, as promptly as circumstances allow. If there is a conflict as to any material fact, a hearing must be held to resolve such conflict. Rules of practice concerning such a hearing will be adopted by the Administrator. The cancellation of the controlled pre-stamping privilege will be in effect until there is a final determination of the preceding.

(a)(1) Inspection program personnel must report their findings as to any product that has been inspected in accordance with this subpart to the Director of Customs at the original port of entry where the same is offered for clearance through Customs inspection.

(2) When product is refused entry into the United States, the official mark to be applied to the product refused entry must be in the following form:

(3) When product has been identified as “U.S. Refused Entry,” inspection program personnel must request the Director of Customs to refuse admission of such product and to direct that it be exported by the owner or importer within the time specified in this section, unless the owner or importer, within the specified time, causes it to be destroyed by disposing of it under the supervision of program inspectors so that the product can no longer be used as human food, or by converting it to animal food uses, if permitted by the Food and Drug Administration. The owner or importer of the refused entry product must not transfer legal title to such product, except to a foreign importer for direct and immediate exportation, or to an end user, e.g., an animal food manufacturer or a renderer, for destruction for human food purposes. “Refused entry” product must be delivered to and used by the manufacturer or renderer within the 45-day time limit provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section. Even if such title is illegally transferred, the subsequent purchaser will still be required to export the product or have it destroyed under paragraph (a)(4) of this section.

(4) The owner or importer will have 45 days after notice is given by FSIS to the Director of Customs at the original port of entry to take the action required in paragraph (a)(3) of this section for “refused entry” product. An extension beyond the 45-day period may be granted by the Administrator when extreme circumstances warrant it, e.g., a dock workers' strike or an unforeseeable vessel delay.

(5) If the owner or importer fails to take the required action within the time specified under paragraph (a)(4) of this section, the Department will take such actions as may be necessary to effectuate its order to have the product destroyed for human food purposes. The Department will seek court costs and fees, storage, and proper expenses in the appropriate forum.

(6) No egg product that has been refused entry and exported to another country pursuant to paragraph (a)(3) of this section may be returned to the United States under any circumstances. Any such product so returned to the United States will be subject to administrative detention in accordance with section 1048 of the Act and seizure and condemnation in accordance with section 1049 of the Act.

(7) Egg products that have been refused entry solely because of misbranding may be brought into compliance with the requirements of this chapter under the supervision of an authorized representative of the Administrator.

(b) Upon the request of the Director of Customs at the port where an egg product is offered for clearance through the customs, the importer of the product must, at the importer's own expense, immediately return to the Director any product that has been delivered to the importer under this subpart and subsequently designated “U.S. Refused Entry” or found in any request not to comply with the requirements in this part.

(c) Except as provided in § 590.930(a) or (b), no person will remove or cause to be removed from any place designated as the place of inspection of egg products that the regulations in this part require to be identified in any way, unless the same has been clearly and legibly identified in compliance with this part.

(d) Any person receiving inspection services may, if dissatisfied with any decision of a program inspector relating to any inspection, file an appeal from such decision. Any such appeal from a decision of a program inspector must be made to the inspector's immediate supervisor having jurisdiction over the subject matter of the appeal, and such supervisor must determine whether the inspector's decision was correct. Review of such an appeal determination, when requested, must be made by the immediate supervisor of the Department employee making the appeal determination. The egg products involved in any appeal must be identified by U.S. retained tags and segregated in a manner approved by the inspector pending completion of an appeal inspection.

(e) All loss or inedible eggs, or inedible egg products must be disposed of in accordance with § 590.504(c)(1).

(a) Immediate containers of product offered for entry into the United States must bear a label, printed in English, showing:

(1) The name of the product;

(2) The name of the country of origin of the product, and for consumer packaged products, preceded by the words “Product of,” which statement must appear immediately under the name of the product;

(3) [Reserved];

(4) The word “Ingredients” followed by a list of the ingredients in order of descending proportions by weight, if applicable,;

(5) The name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor, qualified by a phrase which reveals the connection that such person has with the product;

(6) An accurate statement of the quantity;

(7) The inspection mark of the country of origin;

(8) The date of production and the plant number of the plant at which the egg products were processed or packed.

(b) For properly sealed and certified shipments of shell eggs for breaking at an official plant, the immediate containers need not be labeled, provided that the shipment is segregated and controlled upon arrival at the destination breaking plant.

(c) The labels must not be false or misleading in any respect.

Shipping containers of imported egg products are required to bear in a prominent and legible manner the name of the product, the name of the country of origin, the foreign inspection system plant number of the plant in which the product was processed, shipping or identification marks, production codes, and the inspection mark of the country or origin. Labeling on shipping containers must be examined at the time of inspection in the United States and if found to be false or misleading, the product must be refused entry.

(a) Egg products eligible for importation may be relabeled with an approved label under the supervision of an inspector at an official plant or official import inspection establishment. The new label for such product must indicate the country of origin, except for egg products that are processed (repasteurized or, in the case of dried product, dry blended with product produced in the United States) in an official plant.

(b) The label for relabeled products must state the name, address, and zip code of the distributor, qualified by an appropriate term such as “packed for”, “distributed by”, or “distributors”.

Egg products (other than those that are forbidden entry by other Federal law or regulation) from any country, that are exclusively for the importer's personal use, display, or laboratory analysis, and not for sale or distribution; that are sound, healthful, wholesome, and fit for human food; and that are not adulterated and do not contain any substance not permitted by the Act or regulations, may be admitted into the United States without a foreign inspection certificate. Such products are not required to be inspected upon arrival in the United States and may be shipped to the importer without further restriction under this part, except as provided in 9 CFR 590.925(b), provided that the Department may, with respect to any specific importation, require that the importer certify that such product is exclusively for said importer's personal use, display, or laboratory analysis and not for sale or distribution. The amount of liquid, frozen, or dried egg products imported must not exceed 50 pounds.

U.S. inspected and passed and so marked egg products exported to and returned from foreign countries will be admitted into the United States without compliance with this part upon notification to and approval of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, in specific cases.