Farm direct marketing eggs
What you need to know
The provincial egg regulation, the Purchase and Sale of Eggs and Processed Egg Regulation, affects the sale of eggs direct to end consumers. According to the regulation, uninspected, ungraded eggs can be sold directly to consumers for their own personal use provided that the eggs are:
- produced on the producer’s own farm
- clean, have no visible cracks and are not leaking
- kept at an ambient temperature of 7°C or colder
- packed in clean containers that are conspicuously labeled with the word “UNINSPECTED” in letters that are at least two centimeters in height
What does this mean?
Uninspected, ungraded eggs must only be sold by the producer and cannot be sold by an intermediary. The eggs can only be sold to the end consumer and not to anyone who will use them as ingredients in products they will in turn sell to the end consumer.
For example, uninspected, ungraded eggs cannot be sold to chefs for use in their restaurants, to caterers for use in their catering businesses, to owners of bed and breakfasts for use in their breakfasts or to bakers at the farmers’ market who will use them as an ingredient in their baking destined for sale at the farmers’ market. Uninspected, ungraded eggs can not be used by the producer as an ingredient in a product destined for sale to the end consumer.
Cracked eggs cannot be sold because of food safety concerns. Research has shown that cracked eggs can become contaminated very quickly. Once contaminated, the egg contents cannot be sterilized by normal practices like washing.
Eggs must be kept at a holding temperature not exceeding 7°C. If selling at a farmers’ market, eggs should not be sitting out on the table because the ambient air temperature is typically too warm. One carton can be displayed to attract customers’ attention, but the eggs for sale should be held in a cooler that can maintain the cool temperatures. Eggs in an open refrigeration unit can be displayed provided the air temperature around the eggs is less than 7°C.
Egg containers can be recycled provided they are clean and free of contaminants. Remember that according to the federal Egg Regulations, containers that are labeled with a grade, such as Canada A Large, can’t be used unless the eggs have been graded at an inspected egg grading station. If uninspected eggs are being sold in recycled cartons, the grade must be covered up. According to labelling regulations, the name of the grading station on recycled egg cartons should also be covered. Cartons must also be labelled with the producer’s name and address.
Farmers’ market managers should ensure that all egg vendors are in compliance with federal and provincial regulations.