Federal Purchase Program Specification for Whole Eggs

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service issued an updated Federal Purchase Program Specification for Whole Eggs effective October 2026, with a response deadline of December 31, 2026, establishing quality standards and procurement requirements for bulk liquid whole eggs, frozen homogenized whole eggs in 2-pound cartons, and frozen homogenized whole eggs in 5-pound cartons. The specification updates Quality Assessment Division acceptance criteria, references the AMS Master Invitation for Bids Domestic Commodity Procurement vehicle, incorporates FSIS policy, and removes the USDA generic UPC label requirement.

All products must originate from FSIS-inspected official plants and comply with FSIS regulatory requirements including approved HACCP plans. Shell eggs must be no more than 21 days old and meet commercial nest-run or U.S. Consumer Grade AA or A standards. Frozen products require pasteurization at minimum 142°F for 3.5 minutes within 72 hours of breaking and freezing within 60 hours thereafter. Microbiological acceptance mandates Salmonella-negative results for all products; standard plate counts not exceeding 1,000 CFU per gram for frozen products and 50,000 CFU per gram for bulk liquid; and coliform counts not exceeding 10 CFU per gram for frozen products and 5,000 CFU per gram for bulk liquid. Bulk liquid eggs must contain minimum total solids content of 23.6 percent.

Contractors must maintain product identification and traceability systems, provide Certificates of Conformance for all shipments, submit samples to USDA AMS National Science Laboratories at contractor expense, and establish complaint resolution procedures. Frozen products must arrive at destination at internal temperatures not exceeding 10°F with no individual sample exceeding 15°F; bulk liquid must ship at 40°F or lower. All packaging must be FDA-approved, tamper-evident, and meet specific labeling requirements including nutrition facts, ingredients, and allergen statements.