- Food Safety
Food safety has been and continues to be an important concern of the egg industry. The United Egg Producers have taken a leadership role in helping egg producers assure they are supplying consumers with a safe, quality product. Over the past 20 years, producers have worked hard to reduce Salmonella both on the farm and within laying flocks. Since 1988, UEP has assisted producers with the reduction of Salmonella by:
• Established the SE Task Force.
• Calling for breeder testing through National Poultry Improvement Plan.
• Proposing and assisting with the National Refrigeration Law.
• Proposing legislation requiring all egg packing to include statement "Keep Refrigerated".
• Recommending liquid pasteurized egg products being used in food service and institutional settings.
• Developing the UEP "5-Star Total Quality Assurance Program".
• Established SE Risk Assessment Work Group.
• Provided comments to ANPR on food safety.
• Provided testimony to FDA/FSIS Time and Temperature Conference.
• Sponsored HACCP workshops for both egg producers and processors.
• Partnered with FDA, FSIS and The President's Food Safety Council on new egg safety program.
The Federal government has recently called for additional legislation and regulation to assure the safety of both imported and domestic consumer products, including food. As the Federal government constructs an enhanced food safety program, UEP continues to strongly communicate egg producer concerns and interests to regulators and legislators.
State Egg Quality Assurance Programs
State Egg Quality Assurance Programs (EQAPs) are voluntary programs based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system principles and designed around production, management, and monitoring practices implemented to decrease the risk of Salmonella Enteritidis illness. EQAP's have been found to play a major role in the reduction of Salmonella illness in the U.S. Below are just a few states that utilize an EQAP program.
Maryland Egg Quality Assurance Program (MEQAP)