A new program for state egg and egg product regulators, titled the Egg Regulatory Program Standards (ERPS), has been published by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Egg Regulatory Officials (NERO). The new program combines regulatory actions of partner agencies to provide the best practices for implementing egg and egg-product regulatory programs in the U.S.
The ERPS consists of 10 standards that, according to the FDA, “establish requirements for the critical elements of a regulatory program designed to protect the public from egg and egg product related illness, injury, outbreaks and emergencies.”
The standards are as follows:
- Regulatory Foundation
- Staff Training
- Inspection
- Quality Assurance
- Egg and Egg Product-related Incident Response
- Enforcement
- Industry Outreach
- Resource Management
- Program Assessment
- Laboratory Support
Implementation of the ERPS is voluntary and, currently, only California and Iowa are enrolled in the program. According to the FDA, both states were involved in the standard’s development.
The ERPS has been established in response to the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which required the FDA to establish an Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS), that includes federal, state and tribal agencies to ensure public health protection through combining resources. Additionally, as integrating food safety resources are becoming the standard in the U.S., uniform guidelines across egg and egg product regulatory programs are important in the industry.
Funding
According to the FDA’s website, U.S. States with existing egg inspection contracts can enroll in the ERPS contract elective. Those states will be given $10,000 for submitting the contract deliverables.
To assist with funding, the FDA has also posted a cooperative agreement opportunity with an expected start date in spring 2022. U.S. State egg regulatory programs collecting funds under this cooperative agreement will be required to attain full conformance to the program after five years have elapsed.
