The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Maritime Fisheries,
In view of decree n ° 02-04 -684 of 14 kaâda 1425 (December 27, 2004) taken for the application of law n ° 49-99 relating to the health protection of poultry farms, to the control of the production and marketing of poultry products, in particular Article 37 thereof,
Art. 1st - This decree establishes the hygienic and sanitary prescriptions to which the egg processing centers must respond.
Chapter I: Object-definition
Art. 2 - For the purposes of this decree, the following definitions apply:
1 ° - egg products: products which have been obtained from the egg, its various components or their mixtures, after removal of the shell and membranes, and which are intended for human consumption; they may be partially supplemented with other authorized foodstuffs or additives; they can be either liquid, concentrated, dried, crystallized, frozen, frozen or coagulated;
2 ° - Production farm : poultry farm for the production of eggs intended for human consumption;
3 ° - Establishment: authorized unit for the manufacture and / or treatment of egg products;
4 ° - Cracked eggs : eggs whose shell is damaged but which does not present a solution of continuity, without rupture of membrane;
5 ° - Load: the quantity of egg products prepared under the same conditions and which have in particular been subjected to a treatment in a single continuous operation;
6 ° - Lot: a quantity of egg products to be delivered at once to the same place of destination for further processing in the food industry or intended for direct human consumption;
7 ° - Packaging: the placement of egg products in any kind of container;
8 ° - Marketing: holding or exhibition for sale, offering for sale, sale, delivery or any other form of marketing.
Chapter II: Design of egg processing centers
Section 1: General conditions
Article 3: The establishments must include at least:
1. In rooms where eggs are stored and where egg products are produced or stored:
a) A floor made of impermeable materials, easy to clean and disinfect, rot-proof and arranged so as to allow an easy flow of water. To avoid odors, this water must be routed to pipes that comply with regulations relating to environmental protection;
b) Smooth, resistant and impermeable walls coated with a washable and clear coating up to a height of at least two meters and at least the height of storage in refrigeration and storage rooms. The junction line of the walls and the floor must be rounded or provided with a similar finish, so that it can be easily cleaned;
c) Doors made of unalterable materials and, if they are made of wood, covered on both sides with a smooth and waterproof coating;
d) Easy-to-clean ceilings, constructed and completed so as to avoid the accumulation of impurities, the formation of mold, possible flaking of the paints and condensation of water vapor;
e) Sufficient ventilation and, if necessary, good evacuation of the fumes;
f) Sufficient lighting, natural or artificial;
g) As close as possible to the work stations:
- a sufficient number of devices for cleaning and disinfecting hands and for cleaning equipment with hot water. Valves must not be operable by hand or arm. For hand cleaning, the installations must be provided with running, cold and hot water, or premixed water at an appropriate temperature, cleaning and disinfection products as well as towels which can only be used. only once;
- devices for disinfecting tools;
2. An appropriate number of changing rooms, with smooth, waterproof and washable walls and floors, sinks and flush toilets. The latter must not give directly onto the work premises. Washbasins must be provided with running, hot and cold water, or water premixed at an appropriate temperature, facilities for cleaning and disinfecting hands, and towels that can only be used one time. Lavatory faucets must not be operable by hand. These sinks must be in sufficient number near the lavatories;
3. A separate room and appropriate facilities for cleaning and disinfecting fixed and portable containers and tanks.
4. An installation allowing the supply of exclusively potable water. However, a non-potable water installation is authorized for the production of steam, fire fighting and cooling of refrigeration equipment, provided that the pipes installed for this purpose do not allow the use of this water for other purposes. other purposes and present no risk of contamination of egg products. The steam and water in question may neither come into direct contact with egg products, nor be used for cleaning and disinfecting containers, installations and equipment that come into contact with egg products. Non-potable water pipes must be clearly distinguished from those intended for potable water;
5. An appropriate device for protection against undesirable animals, such as insects, rodents and birds;
6. The material, fittings and instruments, or their surface, which are intended to come into contact with egg products, must be made of a smooth material, easy to wash, clean and disinfect, resistant to corrosion and conform to the regulations in force relating to materials in contact with foodstuffs.
Article 4: In addition to the general conditions provided for in Article 3, establishments must include at least:
1. Adequate premises, sufficiently large for the separate storage of eggs and finished egg products, equipped with a refrigeration installation making it possible to keep egg products at adequate temperatures. Cold stores must be equipped with a recording thermometer or telethermometer;
2. If soiled eggs are used, facilities for washing and disinfecting the eggs;
3. a) A special room with appropriate facilities for breaking the eggs and collecting their contents and eliminating the shell parts and membranes;
b) A separate room for operations other than those referred to in point a.
In the event of pasteurization of egg products, this may take place in the room referred to in point a when the establishment has a closed pasteurization system; in other cases, it must intervene in the room referred to in point b. In the latter case, all measures must be taken to avoid contamination of egg products after their pasteurization;
4. Appropriate equipment to transport the contents of the eggs in the establishment;
5. In the case provided for by this decree, equipment approved by the veterinary services for the treatment of egg products, at least provided:
a) In the case of pasteurization:
- automatic temperature control;
- a recording thermometer;
- an automatic safety system preventing insufficient heating;
b) In the case of a continuous pasteurization system, the equipment must also be provided with:
- an adequate safety system prohibiting the mixing of pasteurized egg products with incompletely pasteurized egg products, and
- an automatic safety recorder preventing the aforementioned mixture;
6. A room for the storage of other foodstuffs and additives;
7. In the case of packaging in disposable containers, a suitable and separate location for the storage of these containers and the raw materials intended for their manufacture;
8. Facilities for the immediate removal and separate storage of empty shells and eggs or egg products unfit for human consumption;
9. Appropriate facilities for hygienic packaging of egg products;
10. To carry out analyzes and examinations in compliance with the requirements of this decree on raw materials and egg products, the establishment must have an appropriate laboratory. Otherwise, he must obtain the services of an approved laboratory that will meet the same requirements.
11. Where appropriate, appropriate facilities for thawing frozen egg products which are to be subjected to processing and other handling in an authorized establishment;
12. A separate room for the storage of cleaning and disinfection products.
Article 5: The most perfect state of cleanliness is required of the staff, premises and equipment:
1. The personnel assigned to the treatment or handling of eggs and egg products must in particular wear clean working clothes and headgear. He is required to wash and disinfect his hands several times during the same working day, as well as each time he resumes work;
2. No animal may enter the establishments. The destruction of rodents, insects, birds and any other vermin must be systematically carried out there;
3. The premises, equipment and instruments used for working egg products must be kept in a good state of maintenance and cleanliness. Equipment and instruments must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, if necessary several times during the working day, at the end of the day and before being reused when they have been soiled. Closed pipe devices used for the transport of egg products must be provided with an appropriate cleaning system allowing the cleaning and disinfection of all parts. After cleaning and disinfection, the pipes must be rinsed with potable water;
4. The premises, tools and equipment must not be used for any purpose other than the working of egg products, except for the working of other foodstuffs carried out simultaneously or at different times after authorization by the veterinary services, except provided that all appropriate measures are taken to avoid contamination or alteration of egg products; these provisions apply to all transformations (drying, mixing, packaging ...) carried out in another place;
5. The use of drinking water is imposed for all uses; however, exceptionally, the use of non-potable water is authorized for the production of steam, provided that the pipes installed for this purpose do not allow this water to be used for other purposes and present no risk of contamination of eggs and egg products. In addition, the use of non-potable water may be authorized on an exceptional basis for the cooling of refrigeration equipment. Non-potable water pipes must be clearly distinguished from those used for potable water;
6. Authorized detergents, disinfectants and similar substances must be used and stored so as not to contaminate equipment, working instruments and egg products. Their use must be followed by a complete rinsing with drinking water of these working equipment and instruments;
7. The working and handling of eggs and egg products must be prohibited to persons likely to contaminate them;
8. Anyone assigned to the work or handling of eggs and egg products is required to produce a medical certificate attesting that there is nothing to prevent this assignment. This medical certificate must be renewed every year.
Article 6:. The eggs used for the production of egg products must be packaged in accordance with the regulatory provisions in force:
a) For the production of egg products, only non-incubated eggs suitable for
human consumption; their shells must be fully developed and free from defects;
(b) By way of derogation from subparagraph a, cracked eggs may be used for the manufacture of egg products, provided that they are delivered directly by the packing centers or the production holding to an authorized establishment, where they must be broken and dealt with as quickly as possible.
Article 7: Eggs and egg products which are unfit for human consumption must be removed and denatured so that they cannot be reused for human consumption. They must be immediately placed in the room provided for in article 4, point 8.
Article 8: All operations must be carried out in such a way as to avoid any contamination during the production, handling and storage of egg products, and in particular:
1. Eggs and egg products presented for further processing in an authorized establishment must be stored immediately after their arrival in the premises provided for in Chapter II, point l, until they are processed. The temperature of these rooms must allow their perfect conservation. The trays used to transport shell eggs must not be placed on the floor;
2. The eggs must be unpacked and, if necessary, washed and disinfected in a separate room
breaking room; the packaging material must not enter the breaking room;
3. The eggs must be broken in the room provided for in Article 4, point 3, under a; cracked eggs
referred to in Article 6 (2) (b) must be transformed without delay;
4. Soiled eggs must be cleaned before breaking; this operation must be carried out in a room separate from the breaking room or from any room where the contents of the eggs, exposed to contamination, are handled. Cleaning operations must be carried out in such a way as to avoid contamination or alteration of the contents of the eggs. The shells must be sufficiently dry at the time of breaking, so as to prevent residues of cleaning water from contaminating the contents of the eggs;
5. Eggs other than those of hens, turkeys and guinea fowl must be handled and processed separately. The equipment must be cleaned and disinfected when resuming the processing of chicken eggs, turkey and guinea fowl;
6. Breaking, whatever the method applied, must be carried out in such a way as to avoid as far as possible contamination of the contents of the eggs. For this purpose, the content of the eggs cannot be obtained by centrifugation or crushing of the eggs, nor by centrifugation of the empty shells to obtain the rest of the egg whites. The presence of shell or membrane residues in the egg product should be limited as much as possible, which should not exceed the quantity referred to in Chapter VI, point 2 under c;
7. After breaking, each particle of the egg product must be processed as quickly as possible. The heat treatment consists of the appropriate combination of temperature and time in order to eliminate the pathogenic microorganisms possibly present in the egg product. During the heat treatment, the temperatures must be continuously recorded. The records referring to each charge processed must be kept for two years at the disposal of the control services. A charge whose treatment was insufficient may be immediately subjected to a new treatment in the same establishment, provided that this new treatment make it fit for human consumption; if it is found to be unfit for human consumption,it must be denatured in accordance with the provisions of chapter IV, article 7
8. If the treatment is not applied immediately after breaking, the contents of the eggs must be stored under satisfactory hygienic conditions, either frozen or at a temperature not exceeding 4 ° C. This storage period at 4 ° C must not exceed forty-eight hours, excluding the components which will be desugared;
9. Upon authorization granted by the veterinary services, egg products from an authorized establishment may be processed in another authorized establishment, provided that the following general conditions are met:
a) As soon as they have been obtained, they must either be frozen or refrigerated at a temperature not exceeding 4 ° C; in the latter case, they must be processed at the place of destination within forty-eight hours of the day on which the eggs are broken from which they were obtained, excluding the components which will be desugared ;
b) They must be packaged, checked, transported and handled in accordance with the prescriptions of this decree;
c) They must be labeled in accordance with the provisions of Chapter X. The nature of the goods must be indicated as follows: "unpasteurized egg products - to be processed at the place of destination - date and time of breaking";
10. The other operations carried out after treatment must ensure that the egg product is not recontaminated. Liquid products or concentrated products not stabilized to keep at room temperature are immediately, or after undergoing a fermentation process, either dried or cooled to a temperature not exceeding 4 ° C. The products to be frozen are frozen immediately after being processed;
11. Egg products must be kept at the temperatures required by this Order until they are used in the manufacture of other foodstuffs;
12. In authorized establishments, the preparation of egg products from raw materials
that are not suitable for the manufacture of food is prohibited, even for the purposes
of technical use.
Article 9: The loads of egg products must, after treatment, be subjected to micro biological checks by sampling in the treatment establishments in order to guarantee that they comply with the microbiological criteria fixed by the regulations in force.
Article 10: The loads of egg products must be subject to random checks in treatment establishments to ensure that they comply with the following criteria:
a) The concentration of butyric acid 3 OH must not exceed 10 milligrams per
kilogram of dry matter of unmodified egg product;
b) In order to guarantee hygienic handling of eggs and egg products before processing, the following standards apply:
- the lactic acid content must not exceed 1000 milligrams per kilogram of egg product dry matter (value valid only for the untreated product);
- the succinic acid content must not exceed 25 milligrams per kilogram of egg product dry matter.
However, for fermented products, these values are the values observed before the process
of fermentation. .
c) The quantity of shell residues, egg membranes and other possible particles
in the egg product must not exceed 100 milligrams per kilogram of egg product.
d) The quantity of residues of the substances referred to in Article 17 may not exceed the tolerances
admitted.
Otherwise, egg products must be excluded from use in human consumption or from marketing both for the manufacture of foodstuffs and for direct human consumption.
Article 11: The packaging of egg products must satisfy the following:
1. The packaging of egg products must be carried out under satisfactory hygienic conditions to ensure that the egg products are not contaminated.
The containers must comply with the regulations in force relating to materials in contact with foodstuffs, which prescribes in particular:
- that they cannot alter the organoleptic properties of egg products;
- they cannot transmit substances harmful to human health to egg products;
- they must be strong enough to ensure effective protection of egg products.
2. The container storage area must be free of dust and vermin; the materials from which the disposable containers are made should not be stored on the floor.
3. Containers intended for egg products must be clean before being filled. They can only be reused after having been cleaned, disinfected and rinsed before being filled.
4. Containers must be brought into the workplace hygienically and used without undue delay.
5. Immediately after packaging, the containers must be closed and placed in the storage rooms referred to in Chapter II, point 1.
6. Containers intended for egg products may be used for other foodstuffs if necessary, provided that they are cleaned and disinfected so as not to contaminate egg products.
7. Containers intended for the transport of egg products in bulk must comply with all hygiene rules, and in particular the following:
- their interior surfaces and all other parts likely to be in contact with the egg product must be made of a smooth material which is easy to wash, clean and disinfect, which resists corrosion and complies with the relevant regulations in force materials in contact with food;
- they must be designed in such a way that the egg product can be completely removed; if fitted with taps, these must be easy to remove, dismantle, wash, clean and disinfect;
- they must be washed, cleaned, disinfected and rinsed immediately after each use and, if necessary, before being reused;
- they must be duly sealed after filling and remain sealed during transport until the use of egg products;
- they are reserved for the transport of egg products.
Article 12: Egg products must be stored in the appropriate premises referred to in Chapter II, Article 4. The storage temperatures must be recorded continuously, the refrigeration speed must be such that the product reaches the required temperatures as quickly as containers and containers should be stored so that air can circulate freely around them.
The following temperatures must not be exceeded during storage:
- for frozen or deep-frozen products: -18 ° C;
- for refrigerated products: +4 ° C;
Article 13 . Vehicles and containers intended for the transport of egg products must be designed and equipped in such a way that the temperatures required by this Order can be maintained continuously throughout the duration of transport.
Egg products must be dispatched so as to be duly protected, during transport, from anything likely to be prejudicial to them.
During transport, the temperatures provided for in Chapter VIII must be observed.
Article 14: In addition to the compulsory information provided for by the regulations in force, all consignments of egg products leaving the establishment must be provided with a label legibly, indelibly marked and in easily decipherable characters including the following indications:
a) The health stamp: in the upper part the name of the establishment in capital letters (in this case the registration number of the establishment will appear in the center of the stamp).
b) The temperature at which egg products must be maintained and the period during which their preservation can be ensured.
These provisions apply without prejudice to those concerning the labeling and presentation of foodstuffs provided for by the regulations in force.
2. The transport documents must in particular include:
a) The nature of the product, with mention of the species of origin;
b) The load number;
c) The place of destination and the name and address of the first recipient.
Article 15 - Only can be produced as foodstuffs or used for the production of foodstuffs for egg products meeting the following general conditions:
a) Have been obtained from chicken, duck, goose, turkey, guinea fowl or quail eggs, excluding mixtures of different species;
b) Indicate the percentage of their egg constituents when they are partially supplemented with other foodstuffs or with authorized additives;
c) Have been treated and / or prepared in an establishment authorized in accordance with Article 8 and meeting the conditions set out in Chapters II, and comply with the provisions of this Order;
d) Have been prepared, under hygienic conditions in accordance with the prescriptions of Chapters III and V, from eggs meeting the conditions laid down in Chapter IV;
e) Having undergone a treatment by a process approved by the veterinary services , which allows them to meet in particular the analytical specifications provided for in Chapter VI. However, when necessary for technological reasons of preparation of certain foodstuffs obtained from egg products, it may be authorized that certain egg products are not subjected to treatment; in this case, egg products must be used without delay in the establishment where they are intended for the manufacture of other foodstuffs. The veterinary services will specify the conditions of this authorization;
f) Meet the analytical specifications provided for in Chapter VI;
g) Have been subjected to veterinary health control,
h) Have been conditioned in accordance with Chapter VII;
i) Be stored and transported in accordance with Chapters VIII and IX;
j) Be provided with the health mark provided for in Chapter X and, as regards products intended for direct human consumption, meet the requirements of the regulations in force relating to their labeling and presentation.
Article 16: The person in charge of the establishment must have a regular check of the general hygiene of the production conditions in his establishment in order to ensure the health safety of the products placed on the market. To this end, it sets up, applies and ensures strict compliance with a procedure developed according to the method of hazard analysis and critical points for their control, known as the “HACCP” system (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), in accordance to Moroccan standard NM 08.0.002 approved by order of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts n ° 386-03 of February 21, 2003.
The controls, including microbiological, carried out within the framework of the HACCP system must relate to the installations, the equipment and the material at all stages of the production as well as on the products.
The control plan lists the nature of the controls, their frequency as well as the methods of sampling and microbiological examination. It is determined by the operator of the egg packaging center and must be approved by the veterinary services, which assess its relevance and effectiveness.
All documents relating to the regular control of the general hygiene of the establishment, including the results of the self-checks, are kept at the permanent disposal of the agents of the veterinary services.
Article 17: The establishment manager must set up a traceability system from the origin of the eggs to the destination of the products and by-products.
A register must be kept in the establishment making it possible to control:
- the origin of the eggs (references to accompanying health documents);
- product inputs and outputs (number, date, weight, batch number, destination, etc.);
- the references of the health certification of finished products (health labels, health certificates, etc.);
- the checks carried out and their results.
These data must be presented, at their request , to the Veterinary Services.
Article 18: - The manufacturer responsible for an establishment where egg products are prepared must take all the measures necessary to comply with this order, and in particular:
- take samples intended for laboratory examinations in order to verify compliance with the analytical specifications provided for in Chapter VI of the appendix and have these bacteriological and chemical examinations of the finished products carried out at its expense. At the request of the veterinary services , the manufacturer of egg products must step up the frequency of laboratory examinations when this is deemed necessary to guarantee the hygienic production of egg products;
- ensure that egg products which cannot be kept at room temperature are transported or stored at the temperatures referred to in chapters VIII and IX;
- ensure that the period during which the conservation of egg products is ensured, is determined;
- keep the recorded results of the various checks and tests so that they can be presented to the veterinary services for a period of two years;
- check that each charge is accompanied by an indication enabling the date of its treatment to be identified; this indication of charge must appear on the statement of treatment carried out and on the label provided for in Chapter X.
Article 19: - The veterinary services will carry out, within the framework of surveillance plans, checks with a view to finding residues of substances with pharmacological and hormonal action, antibiotics, pesticides, detergents and other substances harmful or likely to alter the organoleptic characteristics or possibly to make the consumption of egg products dangerous or harmful to human health.
Article 20: Establishments that comply with the provisions of this decree are authorized by the Department of Agriculture.
A registration number is assigned to them by the veterinary services. The list of authorized establishments will be published in the official bulletin.
Article 21: Imported egg products must comply with the provisions of this order and come from establishments which comply with the standards provided for in this order.
Article 22: The Director of Livestock is responsible for the execution of this decree, which will be published in the Official Journal.