Do raw eggs need to be refrigerated along the food chain?: Is the current EU regulation ensuring high-quality shell eggs for the European consumers?

Abstract

BackgroundEC Regulation No. 589/2008 for egg handling contains a number of incongruities and incompleteness, which confuse the EU food chain operators and consumers. The major inconsistencies, challenged in this comment article, result from: (i) overemphasis on the possibility of eggshell condensation and Salmonella-related safety risks, while overlooking other substantial safety and quality hazards, and (ii) obscure or missing temperature and humidity control requirements, which inspires fear from chilled storage but tolerates handling at high temperatures. Scope and approachThe regulation's performance is deliberated as regards its geographical coverage and applicability under natural and artificial conditions in various climatic regions across Europe. A brief outline of published scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that a continuous and ubiquitous cold chain, along with a proper humidity control and anti-condensation measures (where necessary), dramatically improve egg safety, quality and shelf-life. Several alternative legislations around the world are also recapped in this context. Key findings and conclusionsThe applicable EU egg control regulation needs to be carefully reconsidered and updated by introducing temperature and humidity conditions correlated with resulting safety, quality and shelf life. Substantial efforts should also be made to harmonise the huge discrepancies between relevant codes and practices in Europe, USA and the rest of the world.