Eggs

Question 1

Name the 4 egg production systems in the UK

Answer 1

Barn
Free range
Organic
Enriched colony cage

Question 2

Describe the barn egg production system

Answer 2

• Hens are housed in buildings with one of more levels
• Hans have space to move around freely, litter for dust- bathing and scratching, and are provided with nest boxes and perches
• oPerches for the hens must be installed to allow 15 centimetres of perch per hen. Litter must account for one third of the ground surface

Question 3

EU Welfare of Laying Hens Directive stipulates a maximum stocking density of … hens per square metre of useable area.

Answer 3

9

Question 4

List some of the legal limits provided in the environment of barn egg production systems

Answer 4

• One nest box per five hens or communal nests.
• Linear feeders provide at least 10 cm per hen, or circular feeders provide at least 4 cm per hen.
• Water and feeding troughs are raised so that the specially prepared food is not scattered.
• Electric lighting is provided to give an optimum day length throughout the year

Question 5

In consultation with retailers and animal welfare groups, a new higher hen welfare standard for British Lion barn eggs was introduced in November 2019 - describe this

Answer 5

• A maximum floor stocking density of 16.5 birds per m2
• Two enrichments per 1,000 birds
• A maximum colony size of 6,000 birds
• Superior nest boxes to encourage nesting.

Question 6

Define the term free range

Answer 6

Hens must have continuous daytime access to runs which are mainly covered with vegetation and a maximum stocking density of 2,500 birds per hectare.

Question 7

Describe the hen house for free range hens

Answer 7

The hen house conditions for free range hens must comply with the regulations for birds kept in barn systems, with a maximum stocking density of 9 hens per square metre of useable area.

Question 8

The Lion Quality Code of Practice stipulates the same additional standards for Lion Quality free range hens as for Lion Quality barn hens plus which features?

Answer 8

• Provision of outdoor shading in absence of a veranda
• One pop-hole per 600 birds open for 8 hours daily to allow access to the outside
• Maximum flock size of 16,000 birds divided into colonies of 4,000 where flock size is over 6,000 birds in total
• A maximum stocking density of 2,000 birds per hectare.

Question 9

Describe organic egg production systems

Answer 9

• Hens producing organic eggs are always free range.
• Hens must be fed an organically produced diet and range on organic land
• Kept in smaller flocks

Question 10

Describe the legal limits for organic flocks

Answer 10

• A maximum stocking density of 6 hens per square metre of useable area and a maximum flock size of 3,000 birds.
• Hens must be provided with nest boxes. Adequate perches, providing 18 centimetres of perch per hen, must also be provided.
• Litter must be provided, accounting for one-third of the ground surface
• Additional requirements of the Lion code: the higher standards governing flocks producing British Lion organic eggs include the provision of outdoor shading, additional height and width of pop- holes, open for 8 hours daily to allow access to the outside; and a maximum range area stocking density of up to 2,000 birds per hectare.

Question 11

Describe the main features of enriched colony cages

Answer 11

• New enriched colony cages are designed to contain between 40 and 80 birds, enabling better use of the space and giving them more room to move around the colony
• Provide 750cm² per bird along with a nest box for the birds to lay their eggs in, perching space for the birds to sleep on and a scratching area to perform natural behaviours.
• Food is supplied in troughs fitted to the cages and an automatic water supply is provided. The units are kept at an even temperature and are well ventilated

Question 12

Eggs in the UK are stamped with their method of production, how is this graded?

Answer 12

0 = organic
1 = free-range
2 = barn
3 = caged

Question 13

What does the British lion symbol tell you?

Answer 13

/the eggs are British-laid and that the laying hens have been vaccinated against salmonella

Question 14

What information does the egg stamp tell you?

Answer 14

• Farming method
• Country of origin
• Farm ID
• Best before date
• Lion mark

Question 15

Describe the egg labelling changes that were introduced for poultry that had been housed due to avian influenza

Answer 15

From 1 February 2023, eggs originating from free range flocks in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex will need to be labelled as barn eggs. This will apply to the rest of England from the 27th February.
- In recognition of current elevated input costs facing the industry along with the impacts of AI, Defra will allow the same packaging concessions that were granted last year.
- This means where other options are not feasible, such as over-stickering or marketing eggs in “barn reared” egg boxes, industry will be allowed the use of direct print to pack or an affixed label on free-range boxes to communicate to consumers that the eggs have come from hens that are now barn reared.

Question 16

Eggs are sold in 4 different sizes, what are they?

Answer 16

Small
Medium
Large
Very Large

Question 17

Describe a grade A egg

Answer 17

This is the highest grade. They are naturally clean, fresh eggs, internally perfect with shells intact and the air sac not exceeding 6mm in depth. The yolk must not move away from the centre of the egg on rotation. Grade A eggs are sold as shell eggs.

Question 18

Describe a grade B egg

Answer 18

These eggs are broken out and pasteurised.
Washing of the shell results in the downgrading of eggs from class A to B

Question 19

What are industrial eggs?

Answer 19

These are for non-food use only and are used in products such as shampoo and soap

Question 20

List some features that would class an egg as class B

Answer 20

• Feathers
• Blood staining
• Excessive albumen soiling
• Excessive yolk soiling
• Faecal soaking
• Faecal staining
• Excessive calcium splashing
• Excessive wrinkling
• Mis-shaped shells
• Shell pimples
• Pin holes
• Excessive pale white shells
• Soft tops

Question 21

List some features that would make eggs unsuitable for processing = disposal only

Answer 21

• Dried out collapsed shell
• Open exposed shell
• Excessive weak shell
• Contaminated floor egg

Question 22

What are the 3 basic parts of an egg?

Answer 22

The shell or cuticle.
The white or albumen.
The yolk

Question 23

What makes up the yolk?

Answer 23

The yolk consists of fats, vitamins and minerals, together with about half of the egg’s total protein content.

Question 24

What surrounds the yolk?

Answer 24

A transparent barrier called the vitalline membrane surrounds the yolk and prevents the yolk contents leaking into the albumen.

Question 25

What influences the colour of the yolk?

Answer 25

The colour of the yolk varies and it is influenced by the laying hen’s diet. The colour of the yolk has no connection with food value.

Question 26

Describe the albumen

Answer 26

Egg albumen is rich in protein and vitamins, and it contains substances which protect the egg from micro-organisms which may have entered through the shell.

Question 27

Describe the eggshell

Answer 27

• The eggshell consists of the inner and outer shell membranes, the true shell and the cuticle. It is approximately 1/3mm thick and over 90% calcium carbonate.
• Several thousand tiny pores permeate the shell. These pores allow gases to move between the contents of the egg and the surroundings.

Question 28

List some common internal and eggshell faults

Answer 28

• Double yolked
• Blood spots in eggs
• Meat spots in eggs
• Watery whites
• Abnormal yolk colour
• Mobile and bubbly airspaces
• Bacterial and fungal contamination
• Misshaped eggs
• Rough shelled eggs
• Pale shelled eggs
• Cracked eggs

Question 29

Describe blood spots in eggs

Answer 29

• These are normally found in or around the yolk. They can be caused by one of the tiny blood vessels in the ovary breaking at the time when the yolk is released.
• High levels of activity or disturbance, particularly at the time of ovulation are likely to increase the incidence

Question 30

Describe meat spots in eggs

Answer 30

• Usually brown in colour and associated with the albumen rather than the yolk.
• They often consist of small pieces of body tissue, such as the internal wall of the oviduct.
• In brown shelled eggs, they are more difficult to identify without breaking the shell and there is also evidence that brown laying hens are more likely to produce them than white hens.

Question 31

What are the causes of watery whites?

Answer 31

• The internal quality of freshly laid eggs deteriorates with increasing flock age and some eggs from older birds may have unacceptably watery whites even when laid.
• Viral diseases, such as infectious bronchitis, can also affect the ability of the bird to produce thick albumen.

Question 32

What can cause a green yolk colour?

Answer 32

• Green yolks can be caused by birds consuming green herbage to excess.
• The fault occurs most frequently in the spring when herbage is most lush and where birds take a higher proportion of their feed from the range.

Question 33

How does bacterial/fungal contamination of an egg present?

Answer 33

Bacteria and moulds may be present on the surface of the eggshell. In certain circumstances, some of these can pass through the shell and multiply within the egg, typically producing black, red or green rots

Question 34

What is the cause of misshaped eggs?

Answer 34

If albumen quality is very poor, there is no sound foundation upon which to build the true shell. The result can be the distinctive ‘crinkled’ shell typical of certain viral diseases. Misshaped eggs can also arise for other reasons.

Question 35

What is the cause of rough shelled eggs?

Answer 35

In some cases, two eggs may be in the shell gland at the same time, and this can cause a form of rough shelled egg often referred to as a ‘target’ or ‘thumb-print’ type.

Question 36

What is the cause of pale shelled eggs?

Answer 36

Some of the eggshells laid by brown laying hens may be very pale or white in colour. Purely cosmetic, but such eggs may be rejected by certain customers.

Question 37

What is the cause of soft and weak shelled eggs?

Answer 37

Soft and weak shelled eggs can be common in older birds, especially those which are nearing the end of the laying period, having produced a high output of eggs

Question 38

Describe the main features of cracked eggs

Answer 38

• Egg shells can easily be damaged after the egg is laid and is one of the most common reasons for downgrading
• It may be due either to an inadequate egg shell being laid or to poor handling which may occur during collection, grading or transportation

Question 39

Describe the 3 main types of cracks identified in eggs

Answer 39

• Hairline cracks are the most difficult to identify, particularly in very fresh eggs.
• Star cracks may often be visible under normal light although they are more easily seen during candling.
• Pinhole and toehole cracks can be caused either by the birds themselves or by any sharp protrusions which may come into contact with the egg.

Question 40

The red lion mark required hens to be vaccinated against?

Answer 40

Salmonella

Question 41

Under the National Control Programme (NCP) which was implemented in January 2009 it is a legal requirement that all UK farms with more than … laying hens test their flocks for Salmonella.

Answer 41

350

Question 42

The principal food safety concerns in relation to the use of eggs in catering and domestic food production include which factors?

Answer 42

• Failure to observe “best before dates”
• Inappropriate storage including temperature abuse
• Bulking of eggs
• Cross contamination during food preparation and production
• Consumption of raw eggs (or undercooked dishes containing raw eggs).

Question 43

FSA advice remains that eggs should be stored in the refrigerator at what temperature in catering, food production and domestic premises?

Answer 43

Below 8 degrees

Question 44

As an egg produced when are you required to register as a producer with your APHA Egg Marketing Inspectors (EMIs)?

Answer 44

If you:
- Have 350 or more hens and/or
- Have 50 or more hens and any of your eggs are marketed at local public markets and/or
- Any of your eggs are marketed to registered packing centres.