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- Safety tips for handling farm fresh eggs
More individuals are raising chickens for their eggs. And menus in Minnesota restaurants feature dishes made with fresh locally raised eggs.
In Minnesota, people who sell or donate eggs from their own flock do not need a food handler license. They must, however, complete alicensing exemption formand register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. For more information, contact the Dairy and Meat Inspection Division, 651-201-6300.
Whether you raise, sell, give away or purchase farm fresh shell eggs, you can enjoy safe fresh local eggs when they are properly cleaned, candled, graded, sized, packed and stored.
Food safety checklist for farm fresh eggs
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- Collector pick eggstwo to three times a day.
- Discard eggs with broken or cracked shells.
- Clean shellsusing a dry cleaning method such as fine sandpaper, a brush or emery cloth. Do not userags or sponges to scrub the eggs.
- Wet cleaning must meet water and egg temperature requirements. Eggs must bespray-rinsed with a sanitizing agent(Minnesota Statutes 29, Rules 1520).
- Keep eggs dry. If shell gets wet, bacteria can pass through the shell.
- Wash hands with soap and warm water before and after cleaning eggs.
- The chicken house is clean and dry. Floor litter is in good condition.
- Nests are cleaned once a week and nesting materials are replaced.
- A perch is mounted away from the nest to allow birds to sleep. Place a wire-mesh box under the perch to collect feces.
- There is a plan to control Salmonella carriers such as rodents, flies, beetles, wild birds and cats.
- Feed is stored to prevent contamination.
- Feeding and watering equipment cleaned in a sink other than the kitchen sink.
- Look for defects inside the shell by holding the egg up to a bright light. (Done by the egg producer or by the purchaser.)
- Discard eggs with abnormal shape, spots, cracks or other irregularities.
- After candling, eggs that are clean and well-shaped with no evidence of defects,meet USDA Grade AA quality standard if less than 15 days old. After 15 days without temperature and humidity control, the quality decreases to Grade A. After 30 days, egg quality decreases to Grade B. Eggs older than 30 days cannot be sold.
Weight of one dozen eggs determines the size.
| Size | Weight per dozen |
|---|---|
| Jumbo | 30 oz. |
| Extra large | 27 oz. |
| Large | 24 oz. |
| Medium | 21 oz. |
| Small | 18 oz. |
- Fiber egg cartons can be reused if they are clean. Remove prior packing information from the label. Blacken out the dates, the packers name and contact information with a permanent marker.
- Label egg cartons and/or flat cases with:
- Grade and size of the eggs
- Name, addressand zip code of the farmer, egg producer or individual selling the eggs.
- A package date in Julian calendar (or ordinal date) format.A Julian date is a combination of the current year and the number of days since the beginning of the year. For example, January 1, 2021 is represented as 2021001 and December 31, 2021 is represented as 2021365.
- Freshness date not to exceed 30 days from the date of packaging.
- Safe handling instructions: "To prevent illness from bacteria: keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly."
- Refrigerate eggs at 45 degrees F or less after grading.
- Keep eggs in the carton. Store in the coldest part of your refrigerator away from fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Inspect eggs. Do not use if shell is cracked.
- Check carton's pack date. Eggs have a shelf life of four to five weeks from pack date.
- Crack eggs into bowl before using. Throw away if you see any defects. According to the American Egg Board, a blood spot found on an egg yolk is most often a ruptured blood vessel which happens during the yolk formation. Eggs with blood spots are safe to eat. You can remove the spot with a spoon or knife.
- Wash hands, utensils and equipment with hot, soapy water after contact with eggs.
- Never eat raw eggs. Outbreaks for Salmonella illnesses have been associated with undercooked egg whites and yolks.
- To avoid illness, cook eggs until yolks are firm. Cook foods containing eggs to 160 degreesF as measured by a food thermometer.
- Throw away raw or cooked eggs left at room temperature for more than two hours.
- Bunning, M. (2010).Home-Produced Chicken Eggs.Colorado State University Extension. Fact sheet No. 9.337.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Minnesota Department of Health, and University of Minnesota Extension.Sale of locally raised eggs to food facilities.
Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator
Reviewed in 2021
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