United States 

Department 

of Agriculture

Agricultural 

Marketing Service

Washington, DC

20250

Further Processed Egg & Egg Products to the European Union

Further Processed Egg & Egg products intended for commerce within a European Union 

member country:

European Union member countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, 

Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, 

Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 

Further Processed Egg & Egg products for transit through or temporary storage in a 

European Union member country

Shipments of U.S. egg products transiting through or being temporarily stored in a European 

Union (EU) member country (including ships' stores and military shipments) must be 

accompanied by an EU transit/storage letterhead certificate. 

Certification

Authorized Companies (AMS verified) may request a certificate for egg product or composite 

foods (containing a majority of egg) certificate. In addition to the animal health requirements, 

applicable EU legislation, the EU implementation of HACCP principles, testing of unpasteurized 

eggs used, and specified labeling requirements will be verified before a certificate will be issued 

to the Company. The certificate and processing records for maintaining the identity of the liquid 

egg and processed egg product from the time of production through packaging and labeling must 

be maintained by the company. The records must be consistent with the company’s quality 

management and will be subject to an AMS audit.

Sampling – Unprocessed Liquid Eggs

A. The sampling requirements for unpasteurized and finished product laboratory analyses to 

be completed for each production lot for certification purposes are: 

1. Organic acid (3 OH-butyric acid and lactic acid) - To provide an adequate 

amount of product for these analyses, collect a separate sample of unpasteurized 

product. If the production run involves the processing of liquid unpasteurized egg 

which is representative of the shell egg broken, an 8-ounce sample is adequate. 

However, if different storage tanks represent different shell eggs broken or bulk 

liquid received, an 8-ounce composite from all storage tanks shall be submitted. 

Unpasteurized albumen intended for drying must be sampled prior to adding 

culture or adjustment of the pH with a food grade acid(s). The sample must be 

specifically identified with applicable information for analysis for organic acids. 

Freeze the sample for shipment. If laboratory results show no detection of 

organic acids, the results will be recorded as negative. When results are positive, 

the laboratory will indicate the type and amount of organic acid present. 

To be eligible for certification the amount of each organic acid cannot exceed that 

listed below:
United States 

Department 

of Agriculture

Agricultural 

Marketing Service

Washington, DC

20250

Lactic acid - 1,000 mg/kg

OH-butyric acid - 10 mg/kg

Example of instruction to the laboratory technician: Test for organic acids (3 OHbutyric acid and lactic acid.) 

2. Extraneous material (egg shell, egg membrane, and other particles) - Collect 

and identify a separate sample of finished product for analysis for extraneous 

material. Submit an 8-ounce sample for both pasteurized liquid/frozen or dried 

product. To be eligible for certification, results cannot exceed 100 mg/kg in 

finished product. Example of the instructions to the laboratory technician: 

Analyze for extraneous material. 

To prevent confusion at the laboratory, it is essential that all samples be legibly identified 

(sample number, code date, name of plant, and the type of analysis to be performed - e.g., 

organic acids, extraneous material). Additionally, the instructions to the laboratory 

technician must be specific to assure that the necessary analyses are completed. 

All samples for this certification must be sent to: 

USDA,AMS, Science and Technology National Science Laboratory 

801 Summit Crossing Place, Suite B

Gastonia, NC 28054

Telephone: (704) 867-3873 

Independent Laboratory Analysis

Upon receipt of results of laboratory analyses, determine that the lot of product tested is eligible 

(does not exceed the criteria stated above) for certification. Each shipment consigned to a 

destination within the European Union must be accompanied by an AMS certificate.

Expenses

Shipping materials, containers, testing, and mailing expenses are the responsibility of the 

company. 

Labeling Requirements and Identification Marking

In addition to the general requirements for identification, consignments of egg products, destined 

not for retail but for use as an ingredient in the manufacture of another product, must have a label 

giving the temperature at which the egg products must be maintained and the period during 

which conservation may be assured. The label should include a “Best Before Date of 

DD/MM/YYYY under Storage Temperature of xx C, with the understanding that shelf life and 

storage conditions are determined by specifications of _________ (name of establishment).”