Agencies
Services
Egg Inspection
Egg and Egg Products Inspection
Licensing and inspection of facilities that sell, serve or process eggs, are handled by this division.
Bureau inspectors perform inspections and quality grading of eggs and egg products sold in Illinois in accordance to the Illinois Egg and Egg Products Act.
The Act requires anyone who grades, packs, sells or barters eggs must be licensed with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. A license application can be downloaded, (this file is in .PDF format and requires Acrobat Reader to view) completed and returned by mail to the Department.
Termination of Application & forfeiture of license fee The Department shall issue a license upon receipt of proper application and required nonrefundable fee as set forth in 410 ILCS 615/9. Applicant's failure to meet all requirements for compliance within 60 days after receipt of license application, shall result in termination of the application and forfeiture of the license fee as mandated in Sec. 16.9. A new license application and nonrefundable fee must be submitted if an applicant wishes to reapply. A Department inspector will schedule an initial inspection with new licensees prior to issuing a certificate.
Renewal Application Late Fee If a renewal license application and appropriate fee are not received by July 1, a penalty of $50 shall be assessed in addition to the license fee as set forth and mandated in 410 ILCS 615/9.
If an applicant does not complete license requirements and buys, sells, trades, or barters eggs in this State, a $300 administrative monetary penalty may apply as set forth in Sec. 16.5.
Eggs sold for human consumption must be candled, graded, and refrigerated. Egg cartons must be labeled to identify day of pack, expiration date, grade, size, name, address, and identification of the packer. Inspectors perform inspections at all points of the distribution channel, including: packing plants, distribution centers, grocery stores, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants and bakeries. The Illinois Department of Agriculture cooperates with the Food and Drug Administration, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide uniform enforcement of temperature requirements for eggs at all locations.
- FDA Egg Guidance Documents Regulatory Information
- Selling Eggs
- EGG LAW UPDATED – JULY 26, 2019 – Update to nest run egg temperature requirements at 410 ILCS 615/6.
- PART 65 EGG AND EGG PRODUCTS ACT UPDATED – APRIL 15, 2019 – Updates include Consumer Container Labeling Requirements Section 65.30 d), Master Container Labeling Requirements Section 65.50 c) , and d) - repealed, Licenses Section 65.110 a) 1) A) and 65.110 a) 2), Required Forms and Records Section 65.130 b) 3), Egg Lot Consolidation Section 65.135, Restricted Eggs Section 65.190 i), and Egg Inspection Fee Section 65.210 e).
- Egg License Lookup
- Eggs: A Consumer Guide
- Retailers' Guide to the Illinois Egg Law
- Application for Illinois Egg License
- General Standards for Eggs
If you have any questions regarding the Egg Inspection Program, please email us at agr.eggs@illinois.gov.