Egg sales: new regulations in 2023, what can be expected for retailers?
Europe is a major producer and consumer of eggs : 6.7 million tonnes of eggs produced each year, too many are wasted… The other side of the coin: too many eggs are thrown away when they have not yet been bought on the shelves of a supermarket… And this is partly due to strict regulations on the sale and freshness of eggs in shops. Fortunately, regulations are changing and the European Commission amended the legislation on the sale of eggs last December. As a retailer, here is what you can expect from these changes.
Expiration date for eggs? Not a “Use-By date”, not a “Best Before date”: a “Recommended Use-By date”!
Neither a fresh product, nor a dry, fragile product with a specific shelf life… The egg is a special case! So special that its expiry date is neither a “Use-By date” nor a “Best Before date” as we are used to seeing on other products but a “Recommended use-by date”.
The “Recommended use by date” therefore corresponds to the expiry date of the eggs and is fixed at 28 days after laying. To be more precise, eggs are considered “extra fresh” until 9 days after laying and “fresh” until 28 days after laying.
The regulation is changing and allows the sale of eggs up to the “Recommended Use-By date”!
To be clear: until now, legislation laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin limited the maximum delivery date of eggs to the consumer to 21 days after they were laid, although their recommended use-by date was 28 days. A distributor was obliged to withdraw a carton of eggs from sale 7 days before its expiration date, it could not be given away or sold and therefore ended up in the bin…
This old regulation had a limited impact on egg safety but contributed significantly to food waste at retail level. So in order to avoid this waste, the
Want more details? Read the official legislation on the sale of eggs >
Another step forward in the fight against food waste and access to food
The change in legislation regarding the sale of eggs is very good news for retailers who will save thousands of eggs from the bin every year! A longer period of time for selling eggs will allow them to be sold more efficiently. In the case of eggs close to their expiration date, the shop can even implement an anti-waste labeling solution to be 100% sure that the products are sold. In addition to direct sales on the shelves, charities can benefit from egg donations more easily. One more step towards achieving the objectives of the AGEC law: sustainable waste reduction, fight against waste and accessibility to food for all.
Did you know? It is allowed to sell incomplete egg boxes with an anti-waste label. Learn more about our anti-waste labeling solution >
The sale of eggs, what you need to remember in pictures.
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