On April 3, 2013, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a program to facilitate the export of further processed eggs and egg products. The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will verify a wide range of products containing eggs, including omelets, frozen egg patties, crepes, hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and food containing egg extracts. The export certifications to Mexico performed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for foods containing eggs will be discontinued. Exporters who are interested in shipping egg products to Mexico need to contact AMS to register for the new program and schedule an audit as soon as possible. Mexico will be requiring the new AMS certificates beginning on September 28, 2013.
AMS worked with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), other government agencies, and representatives from processed egg and egg food organizations, including the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) and the United Egg Association, to develop the program.
Interested processors must submit a documented Quality Manual to AMS, Livestock, Poultry and Seed Program, Quality Assessment Division, outlining their plan for complying with all conditions of the program and assuring the eligibility of products for verification and export. The proposal must contain a step-by-step description of how production will be monitored and a complete description of the records that will be maintained for the products designated for export to Mexico.
