§1034 Inspection of Egg Products

Summary

Require continuous inspection of egg-product processing in every plant that makes egg products for people to eat whenever processing is happening, unless the plant is exempt. If a restaurant, institution, or food maker uses eggs that do not meet the rules, that place is treated like a plant for those egg operations. The Secretary must hold back, separate, and recheck eggs and egg products in official plants when needed. If eggs or egg products are found unsafe, they must be condemned and, if not successfully appealed, destroyed under an inspector’s watch. If reworking can make them safe, they can be reprocessed under an inspector and kept. If someone appeals, the eggs are marked and kept apart while the appeal inspection is done. If the appeal is frivolous, the person appealing may pay the cost. The Secretary must also inspect business sites, facilities, stocks, operations, and records of egg handlers and others who must keep records to make sure only eggs fit for food are used and rules are followed. Shell-egg packers who pack eggs for people who buy them must be inspected at least once each calendar quarter. The Secretary will inspect places and transport vehicles to check that eggs for sale are kept at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or colder after packing and are labeled to show they need refrigeration. The Secretary won’t do these temperature checks for handlers with flocks of 3,000 layers or fewer. The Secretary of Health and Human Services does these checks at food manufacturers, institutions, and restaurants (not plants). Inspectors from both agencies must be given access to make these inspections.