10 things egg producers need to know about egg printing

How new printing technologies add value where it counts

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THE AVERAGE human eats around 200 eggs a year. Every year therefore, 1.6 trillion eggs are produced, weighing over 90 million tonnes. And if they are to be sold commercially, all of them (or the boxes they are sold in) need to bear an information code.

Egg printing is an important function - and here are ten key facts that producers should know about the egg printing machines they use.

1. Egg printing is mandatory in most countries

Government regulations in many countries mandate that eggs carry specific information, such as expiry dates, production dates, traceability data and supplier specific information, to ensure transparency and food safety. By marking eggs with unique identifiers, producers can trace products back to their source, facilitating swift responses to any quality or safety issue.

2. Regulations are not the same everywhere

Many countries take their lead from the US, where egg marking is regulated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), also working with the WTO to harmonize food standards around the world. US eggs (and the cartons they are sold in) typically carry information that identifies the producer and a three-digit code that represents the date when they were packed (001 = 1 January). In the EU, eggs are stamped with a mark indicating the farming method, country of origin, and a unique producer identifier.

Other countries follow similar patterns, but changing regulations can be hard to follow and producers should always check with local authorities. In Brazil, for example, regulatory changes in November 2024 led many producers to believe, falsely, that every individual egg had to be coded.*

3. Egg codes are there for consumers too