Ministry of Agriculture: All Washed Eggs Must Be Individually Printed; Violators Face Fines Up to NT$30,000

(CNA Reporter Wang Shufen, Taipei, July 1) The Ministry of Agriculture has been promoting individual printing on washed eggs for over four years, previously only for specific sales channels. The Ministry of Agriculture announced today that starting from today, all washed eggs must be individually printed with traceability information and registered. This measure aims to strengthen the traceability system, and violators will face fines of up to NT$30,000.

The Ministry of Agriculture issued a press release stating that on June 30, it announced the amendment of "Designated Washed Fresh Eggs as Agricultural Products Requiring Traceability Information and Their Required Registration Items and Labeling Methods." Starting today, all washed eggs produced by washing operators must be individually printed with traceability information and registered, comprehensively building a traceability network for washed eggs. The goal is to enhance the transparency of domestic egg production and consumer confidence by strengthening the traceability system.

The Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that after the new system is implemented, if washing operators fail to register traceability information in detail as required, or fail to complete individual printing and labeling, they may be subject to a fine of not less than NT$6,000 and not more than NT$30,000 in accordance with Article 31 of the Agricultural Product Production and Verification Management Act, and may be penalized for each offense.

The Ministry of Agriculture stated that since the promotion of the individual printing policy for washed eggs on January 1, 2022, the public's emphasis on egg quality and source information has gradually increased, driving a steady growth in the consumption proportion of washed eggs.

The Ministry of Agriculture mentioned that this system adjustment was jointly deliberated by the Executive Yuan's Food Safety Office, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Ministry of Agriculture will strengthen the current traceability management mechanism for washed eggs, while the Food and Drug Administration will simultaneously guide and encourage end-of-line retailers to use washed eggs, jointly improving the management efficiency of the egg supply chain and safeguarding food safety and consumer rights.

The Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that previously, regulations only required washing operators supplying convenience stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, mass merchandisers, school meals, military rations, or online purchases to have traceable washed eggs. Now, the production responsibilities of washing operators are further expanded. After the new system is implemented, all washed eggs supplied by washing operators must be clearly traceable to their source. The scope of traceability is no longer limited to the original seven major sales channels, nor to breakfast shops, catering businesses, and baking industries that were announced for inclusion in January of this year.

In the future, after consumers purchase washed eggs, they can use the "Taiwan Egg Traceability Management System" to enter the traceability code printed on the eggshell to inquire about information such as the egg production farm, washing operator, and farming methods, thereby gaining a better understanding of the egg's origin and effectively enhancing the transparency of domestic washed egg production information and market trust.

Currently, Taiwan's average daily egg production is about 26 million eggs, with a washing ratio of about 40%. It is estimated that the proportion of individually printed washed eggs has reached 85%, and starting today, it will reach 100%. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150701

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