New guidelines for reducing salmonella risks in eggs voluntary - for now

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

Health Canada’s new guidelines on reducing salmonella risks in Canadian egg production will be voluntary for now but they may become mandatory regulations in the future, says a department spokesperson.

Blossom Leung, Health Canada media relations officer, says by email the department’s new guide to reducing the risk of salmonella enteritidis, scheduled for release in December, focuses its recommendations on table eggs from regulated flocks produced under the quota system administered by Egg Farmers of Canada. That’s because most eggs offered for sale on the table market are from these flocks, she says.

The guidance document is voluntary, she says “with the possibility of regulatory backstops in the future, if warranted.”

Small flock egg farmers are exempt from the new guidelines but the department recognizes people could potentially become sick “from eggs originating from sources other than regulated flocks.” Leung says small flock owners are exempt from the guidelines if their eggs are sold at the farm gate or at farmers’ markets, which are under provincial jurisdiction.

In Ontario, people can have up to 100 laying hens without holding quota.

Health Canada’s document covers best management practices for the egg industry. Food safety enforcement agencies at the federal, provincial and territorial level may use the guidance document as a reference to assess if the egg industry is following good agricultural practices to reduce salmonella enteritidis, she says. BF