Illinois § 6

§ 6.

Candling; labeling; sales by producers; retail sales; temperature requirements. All eggs sold at retail or purchased by institutional consumers must be candled for quality and graded for size. A producer may sell on his own premises where eggs are produced, direct to household consumers, for the consumer's personal use and that consumer's non-paying guests, nest run eggs without candling or grading those eggs. All eggs designated for sale off the premises where the entire flock is located, such as at farmers' markets, and at retail or for institutional use must be candled and graded and held in a place or room in which the temperature may not exceed 45 degrees Fahrenheit after processing. Nest run eggs must be held and transported at or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature beginning 36 hours after the time of lay. Hatcheries buying eggs for hatching purposes from producers under contract may sell their surplus eggs to a licensed packer or handler provided that the hatchery shall keep records which indicate the number of cases sold, the date of sale and the name and address of the packer or handler making the purchase. All eggs candled or candled and graded outside the State must meet Federal standards before they can be sold or offered for sale in the State. No eggs may be offered for sale for consumer use 45 days or more after the date of candling. Each container of eggs offered for sale or sold at wholesale or retail must be labeled in accordance with the standards established by the Department showing grade, size, packer identification, and candling date, and must be labeled with an expiration date, or other similar language as specified by USDA standards, that is not later than 45 days from the candling date for grade A eggs and not later than 30 days after the candling date for grade AA eggs. The grade and size of eggs must be conspicuously marked in bold face type on all consumer-size containers. The size and height of lettering or numbering requirement shall be set by regulation and shall conform as near as possible to those required by Federal law. All advertising of shell eggs for sale at retail for a stated price shall contain the grade and size of the eggs. The information contained in such advertising shall not be misleading or deceptive. In cases of food-borne disease outbreaks in which eggs are identified as the source of the disease, all eggs from the flocks from which those disease-causing eggs came shall be identified with a producer identification or flock code number to control the movement of those eggs. (Source: P.A. 101-158, eff. 7-26-19.)