Beginning on July 1, large-scale food and beverage operators would be brought under a new framework requiring them to use only washed and graded eggs. Many have questioned the added costs this would incur, while others argue that such regulations are excessively strict. However, speaking from the front lines of the food supply chain, I must say that this requirement is not an additional burden, but a much- needed adjustment.
Loose eggs — which come unwashed, lack proper packaging and are sold in bulk — have been in use for a long time. However, their problem lies not in their quality, but in the absence of a proper management system. They lack clearly defined shelf lives and batch management is often incomplete. Thus it becomes incredibly difficult to trace the source of an issue when one arises. Although these conditions incur lower costs, they are the result of risks that have not been managed properly.
The core value of washed and graded eggs lies in their process rather than their appearance. The cleaning, grading and removal of abnormal eggs — combined with proper storage conditions and expiration labeling — ensure that basic risk control is completed prior to the eggs entering the food service sector. All washed and graded eggs are uniformly ink-stamped with their production line, batch number and time information printed directly onto the shell. With this, traceability is no longer merely a matter of paperwork.
The primary biological risks associated with eggs have always been concentrated at the raw material handling and storage stages, with salmonella being the most representative example. The purpose of the washed and graded egg system is precisely to address these risks earlier in the process so as to reduce the likelihood that such issues reach the food service sector, rather than waiting to take remedial action.
Over the past few years, reviews of food poisoning cases have often revealed that the problem did not stem from the actions of a single person, but rather long-standing ambiguities in the handling of raw materials, storage processes and the allocation of responsibility. Recent public debate has largely focused on rising costs, but food safety has never been a cost-free choice. When incidents occur, the cost is borne by both consumers and the public health system — and the resulting costs far exceed the expense of consistently implementing basic food safety procedures from the start.
Those working on the ground know quite well that risk never disappears — it is merely a question of who bears it. Putting necessary procedures in place keeps that risk within the system instead of shifting it onto consumers or the healthcare system. Such a cost is not wasteful — it is a basic price worth paying. Therefore, the significance of the washed and graded egg system lies not in making the products look more appealing, but in drawing clearer boundaries of responsibility. When processes are complete and labeling transparent, problems can be traced to the source and risks are less likely to be passed on to consumers.
The cost of using washed and graded eggs is not an added burden — it is work that should have been completed as an integral part of food safety from the start. What truly deserves scrutiny is not the law for being too strict, but the system for being able to operate in the past without these basic standards. What is lacking is not a proper method for handling eggs, but a professional attitude that treats food safety measures as a necessary cost.
Chang Shang-yang is a farmer.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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