Storing and Handling Shell Eggs Safely

Store shell eggs at or below 5°C, keep them in their original cartons away from ready-to-eat foods, and use them in rotation by date. Receive only clean, uncracked eggs from a licensed supplier, discard cracked or dirty ones, and always wash and sanitise hands and surfaces after handling. These controls limit Salmonella growth and cross-contamination from shell to food. Key takeaways: Refrigerate shell eggs at or below 5°C, keep them in their original carton and out of the temperature danger zone (5-60°C) to slow any Salmonella present.. Buy only clean, uncracked eggs from a licensed, traceable supplier and check every delivery; reject dirty, cracked, leaking or undated stock.. Do not use cracked or dirty shell eggs in ready-to-eat or lightly cooked dishes — the shell surface and its contents are the main Salmonella risk.. Separate raw eggs from ready-to-eat foods, and wash and sanitise hands, utensils and surfaces after handling shells to prevent cross-contamination.. Rotate stock first-in-first-out, keep supplier records for traceability, and cook egg dishes so the core reaches 75°C where a full cook is intended.. Why shell eggs need careful handling Shell eggs are a potentially hazardous food because they can carry Salmonella, a bacterium that causes foodborne illness with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps. Contamination can be present on the shell surface, and cracks or dirt make it easier for bacteria to reach the contents. Because raw and lightly cooked egg dishes skip the heat step that would destroy Salmonella, eggs deserve the same discipline you apply to raw meat and poultry. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code treats eggs and egg products as a focus for safe handling, and Standard 3.2.2 requires food businesses to receive, store and process food in ways that keep it safe. Controlling temperature, keeping eggs clean and intact, and preventing cross-contamination are the practical ways you meet that duty. The good news is that the controls are simple and repeatable. Cold storage slows bacterial growth, careful receiving keeps contaminated stock out of your kitchen, and good separation and cleaning stop any contamination spreading from the shell to food that will not be cooked further. Receiving eggs and checking on delivery Food safety for eggs starts at the back door. Buy from a licensed egg supplier who can trace their product, and check that eggs are individually marked and the carton or case carries the producer's identification and a date. Traceability matters if a recall is ever issued, so keep your delivery dockets and invoices. Inspect every delivery before you accept it. Reject the load, or the affected cartons, if you find cracked, leaking, dirty or mouldy eggs, damaged packaging, or eggs that have clearly been left in the heat. Refrigerated eggs should arrive cold; if a supplier delivers eggs chilled, they should not be warm on arrival. Check eggs are clean, uncracked and individually stamped, with producer identification and a date on the carton or case.. Reject cracked, leaking, dirty, mouldy or odd-smelling eggs and any with damaged packaging.. Confirm the supplier is licensed and that you can trace the product back to them.. Move accepted eggs into refrigerated storage promptly rather than leaving them on the bench.. Record the delivery and keep dockets and invoices for traceability.. Refrigerated storage and temperature control Once accepted, store shell eggs in the fridge at or below 5°C. Keeping eggs cold slows the growth of any Salmonella that may be present and helps maintain quality. The range between 5°C and 60°C is the temperature danger zone, where bacteria multiply fastest, so the aim is to keep eggs out of it as much as possible from receipt to use. Keep eggs in their original cartons. The carton protects the shells from damage, limits moisture loss, reduces the eggs picking up strong odours, and preserves the date and traceability information. Store cartons where the temperature is stable rather than in the door, and avoid stacking heavy items on top of them. Let eggs stay cold until you need them, and take out only what you will use in a short window rather than leaving trays out through service. If you decant eggs or hold pooled egg for cooking, keep that under refrigeration too and treat it as a potentially hazardous food subject to the 2-hour/4-hour rule. Refrigerate shell eggs at or below 5°C and keep them out of the 5-60°C danger zone.. Keep eggs in their original carton to protect shells and retain date and traceability details.. Store away from strong-smelling foods and stable-temperature areas, not the fridge door.. Take out only what you need and return the rest to the fridge promptly.. Cracked, dirty and damaged eggs Cracked and dirty eggs are the highest-risk eggs in your kitchen and should not be used in food that is served raw or only lightly cooked. A crack lets bacteria move from the shell into the contents, and visible dirt or faecal matter on the shell signals possible Salmonella contamination that can transfer to hands, utensils and food. Do not wash dirty shell eggs yourself in an attempt to salvage them. Washing at the wrong temperature or in the wrong way can draw contamination through the shell and remove the natural protective layer. Cleaning and grading are the licensed producer's responsibility, so the safe response in a food business is to discard eggs that arrive or become dirty or cracked. If an egg cracks during handling, keep it well away from ready-to-eat foods and clean and sanitise anything the leaking contents touched. Where your recipe fully cooks the food so the core reaches 75°C, that heat step will destroy Salmonella, but the safest general rule for a busy kitchen is to remove damaged eggs from use rather than trying to judge each case. Discard cracked, leaking, dirty or mouldy eggs rather than using them.. Never use cracked or dirty eggs in raw or lightly cooked dishes.. Do not wash shell eggs in the kitchen; cleaning is the licensed producer's job.. Clean and sanitise any surface, utensil or hand that contacts a leaking egg.. Separation and preventing cross-contamination Treat raw eggs and their shells as a source of contamination, just like raw meat and poultry. Store eggs so they cannot drip or shed shell debris onto ready-to-eat foods, and keep them physically separated from salads, cooked items and other foods that will not be cooked again. Hands and equipment are the usual route by which Salmonella moves from shell to food. Wash and sanitise your hands after handling eggs or shells and before touching ready-to-eat food, and use clean, sanitised bowls, whisks and boards. Avoid using the same utensils for raw egg and for finished food without cleaning and sanitising in between. Store eggs below and away from ready-to-eat foods so nothing drips or sheds onto them.. Wash and sanitise hands after handling shells and before handling ready-to-eat food.. Use clean, sanitised bowls and utensils; do not reuse egg-contact equipment without cleaning.. Discard leftover pooled or beaten egg rather than topping it up through service.. Raw and lightly cooked egg dishes Dishes made with raw or lightly cooked egg — such as some mayonnaise, aioli, mousse, tiramisu, hollandaise, and lightly set desserts — carry more risk because there is no full heat step to destroy Salmonella. If you make these, use clean, uncracked, refrigerated eggs, prepare small batches, keep them cold at or below 5°C, and use them within a short, planned time. Where possible, consider pasteurised egg products for raw or lightly cooked applications, particularly for meals served to vulnerable people such as the very young, the elderly, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. Pasteurisation reduces the Salmonella risk while letting you make the dish. For dishes that are fully cooked, cook so the core reaches 75°C, which destroys Salmonella. Hold hot egg dishes at 60°C or above, apply the 2-hour/4-hour rule to any egg food left in the danger zone, and cool cooked egg dishes promptly using two-stage cooling: from 60°C to 21°C within two hours, then from 21°C to 5°C within a further four hours. Use fresh, clean, uncracked, refrigerated eggs for any raw or lightly cooked dish and make small batches.. Consider pasteurised egg products for raw preparations, especially for vulnerable customers.. Cook fully cooked egg dishes to a core of 75°C and hold hot food at 60°C or above.. Cool cooked egg dishes using two-stage cooling: 60-21°C within 2 hours, then 21-5°C within 4 more.. Rotation, labelling and records Good stock control keeps eggs fresh and traceable. Rotate on a first-in-first-out basis so older stock is used first, and keep the original carton dating visible until the eggs are used. If you decant eggs into another container, label it with the date so you can still manage rotation and shelf life. Keep the records that support traceability and your food safety program: delivery dockets, invoices and supplier details, plus fridge temperature checks that show eggs are being held at or below 5°C. If a recall or a customer complaint arises, these records let you identify which stock is affected and demonstrate your controls. Build egg handling into your routine cleaning and temperature monitoring rather than treating it as separate. When eggs are received cold, stored cold, kept clean and intact, and separated from ready-to-eat food, the Salmonella risk from shell eggs is well controlled. Rotate stock first-in-first-out and keep carton dates visible.. Label decanted eggs with the date and keep them refrigerated.. Keep delivery dockets, supplier details and fridge temperature records for traceability.. Fold egg handling into your standard cleaning and temperature-monitoring routines.. Checklist: Eggs bought from a licensed, traceable supplier and individually stamped. Every delivery inspected; dirty, cracked, leaking, warm or untraceable eggs rejected. Accepted eggs refrigerated promptly at or below 5°C in their original cartons. Eggs stored away from and below ready-to-eat foods to prevent drips and debris. Cracked and dirty eggs discarded, not washed or salvaged. Hands, bowls and utensils washed and sanitised after handling shells. Raw or lightly cooked egg dishes made in small batches, kept cold, and pasteurised egg used where appropriate for vulnerable customers. Fully cooked egg dishes reach a 75°C core and are cooled using two-stage cooling. Stock rotated first-in-first-out with dates kept visible or labelled. Delivery dockets and fridge temperature records kept for traceability. Common mistakes: Accepting cracked, dirty or warm eggs at delivery instead of rejecting them.. Storing eggs at room temperature or in the fridge door where the temperature swings.. Washing dirty shell eggs in the kitchen, which can draw contamination through the shell.. Using cracked or dirty eggs in mayonnaise, aioli or other raw or lightly cooked dishes.. Cross-contaminating ready-to-eat food by not washing hands and utensils after handling shells.. Topping up a container of pooled beaten egg through service rather than making fresh, small batches.. Losing traceability by discarding cartons and delivery dockets that carry producer and date information..