CAC/RCP 15-1976 Code of Hygienic Practice for Eggs and Egg Products
INTRODUCTION
This Code of Hygienic Practice for Eggs and Egg Products is intended to provide guidance for the safe production of eggs and egg products. A hazard analysis approach was used in determining the controls presented in this Code. The FAO/WHO document below was used to provide a risk-based foundation for the revised Code.
Risk assessments of Salmonella in eggs and broiler chickens. Microbiological Risk Assessment Series 1. FAO/WHO 2002 (ISBN 92-5-104873-8). http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/Y4393E/Y4393E00.HTM
This Code of Hygienic Practice for Eggs and Egg Products takes into consideration, to the extent possible, the differing egg and egg product production systems and processing procedures used by countries. This code focuses primarily on eggs produced from domesticated chickens. The principles may also be applied to the hygienic practices for egg production from other domesticated egg producing bird species (e.g. duck, quail and goose). Therefore, the code is, of necessity, a flexible one to allow for different systems of control and prevention of contamination of eggs and egg products.
This Code addresses the two main sources of contamination of eggs:
1. internally during egg formation, and
2. externally, at any point at or after laying.
It takes into consideration the possibility of illness in the general population due to the consumption of eggs or egg products contaminated by Salmonella species, other enteric pathogens or other contaminants, as well as the susceptibility to illness of sectors of the population such as the elderly, children, and immunocompromised individuals. For microbiological contamination, this approach is consistent with the approach identified by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risk Assessment of Microbiological Hazards in Foods (Rome, Italy, 30 April – 4 May 2001).
