Egg labeling and marketing standards: complete guide to EU rules

What are the rules foregg labeling, in Italy and Europe? The egg market is regulated by strict marketing rules (marketing standards), aimed at ensuring transparency for consumers and fairness in commercial transactions. The regulatory reference today is Regulation (EU) 2023/2465, which integrates the Common Market Organization.

Following is an analysis of the EU rules: from the classification of eggs into Category A and B to the mandatory label indications – with particular attention to the breeding method, which affects animal welfare and therefore today the choices of Italian consumers – up to the rules for designating 'extra fresh' eggs and boasting the use of cereals in the feeding of laying hens.

Egg marketing standard, EU rules

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465 supplements Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 — which establishes the Common Market Organization (CMO) — with the marketing standard applicable to eggs of hens of the species Gallus gallus, insofar as it concerns in particular:

a) classification criteria;

b) storage and treatment;

c) stamping and packaging requirements;

d) use of optional reserved mentions;

e) tolerance levels;

f) import and export conditions (article 1 – Subject).

Egg classification

The eggs of category A present the following ‘quality characteristics:

a) shell and cuticle: normal shape, clean and intact;

b) air cell: height not exceeding 6 mm, immobile; however, for eggs marketed with the label «extra», the height must not exceed 4 mm;

c) yolk: visible during candling only as a shadow, without an apparent outline, slightly mobile when the egg is rotated, but returning to a central position;

d) white: clear, translucent;

e) germ: imperceptible development;

f) foreign bodies: not allowed;

g) atypical unintentional odors: not allowed.’

In the category B are included both eggs that do not have the above quality characteristics and those not stamped within 10 days of laying are category B eggs (article 3 – Quality characteristics of eggs).

Storage and treatment

Category A eggs are not washed or cleaned either before or after classification, except at packing centers already authorized by Member States for such operations before 1 June 2023.

‘The eggs of category A do not undergo any treatment of storage and are not refrigerated refrigerated in rooms or facilities where the temperature is artificially maintained below 5 °C. However, eggs that have been kept below 5 °C during transport for a maximum duration of 24 hours, or at a point of sale or adjacent premises for a maximum duration of 72 hours, are not considered refrigerated’ (article 4 – Storage and treatment of eggs).

Category A, classification based on weight

The classification of category A eggs is carried out according to the following weight categories:

• XL — very large: weight > 73 g;
• L — large: weight between 63 g and 73 g;
• M — medium: weight between 53 g and 63 g;
• S — small: weight less than 53 g.

The weight categories are indicated by the letters or descriptions above, or by a combination of both, with the possible addition of the corresponding weight ranges.

If, however, the same packaging contains category A eggs of different sizes, the minimum net weight is indicated in grams and the wording «eggs of various sizes» (article 5 – Classification of category A eggs based on weight).

Classification, stamping and packaging of eggs

Classification, stamping, and packaging must be carried out:

• within ten days from the date of laying, for eggs of category A;
• within four days from the date of laying, for eggs marketed as «extra» or «extra fresh».

The best before date («to be preferably consumed by …») is stamped at the time of packaging (article 6.2 – Terms applicable to the classification, stamping and packaging of eggs and to the stamping of packaging).

The stamping of eggs of category B must instead include a circle at least 12 mm in diameter, inside which is inserted a letter «B» with a height > 5 mm or a colored dot easily visible with a diameter > 5 mm (article 6 – Terms applicable to the classification, stamping and packaging of eggs and to the stamping of packaging).

‘The eggs imported from third countries are stamped clearly and legibly in the country of origin with the country’s ISO 3166 code’ (article 22 – Imported eggs).

Packaging labeling

The Packaging containing eggs of category A must bear on the outer surface, in easily visible and clearly legible characters:

• The quality category; ‘packaging is marked with the wording «category A» or with the letter «A», alone or combined with the wording «fresh» or «fresh eggs»’;
• The weight category (article 5);
• The method of farming;
• the best before date;
• the wording «washed eggs» for eggs washed in authorized packing centres;
• the codes of the packing centres where the eggs were packed and, if applicable, repacked. ‘The explanation of the producer code is provided on the outer surface of the packaging, or inside it.’

In the case of eggs from category B, the packaging shows on the outer surface:

• the packing center code;
• the «category B» or the letter «B»;
• the packing date (article 11 – Stamping of packaging).

Breeding methods

I Breeding methods traditional are reported in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2023/2465:

• farm eggs outdoor;
• farm eggs barn;
• farm eggs cage equipped.

The eggs premium, as far as animal welfare, remain those ‘organic’ or ‘Bio’, pursuant to Reg. (EU) 2018/848 (Dongo, 2025).

Producer code

The Producer code or ‘identification number’ to be stamped on the eggs – pursuant to article 2.2.r of Reg. (EU) 2023/2465 and point 2 of the annex to Commission Directive 2002/4/EC, referenced therein – is composed as follows:

• a digit between 0 and 3 indicates the method of farming: 0, organic; 1, outdoor; 2, barn; 3, cage;
• code of the Member State, composed of two letters (e.g. IT, Italy);
• identification number of the establishment set by the Member State where it is located.

‘Extra’ eggs

Optional additional indications «extra» or «extra fresh» can be reported on packaging containing category A eggs up to the ninth day following the laying date.

In such cases, ‘the laying date and the nine-day term appear on the packaging in a easily visible and clearly legible manner’ (article 12 – Optional reserved mentions relating to quality).

Information on the feed used

If a voluntary indication relating to the type of feeding of hens laying hens, the following minimum requirements apply:

• i Cereals can be indicated as feed ingredients only if they constitute at least 60% by weight of the feed formula, which may include at most 15% by-products of cereals;
• in compliance with the aforementioned minimum percentage of 60%, if reference is made to a specific cereal, it must represent at least 30% of the feed formula used;
• if reference is instead made to multiple cereals, each of them must represent at least 5% of the feed formula used (article 13 – Optional reserved mentions relating to feeds).

Information on loose eggs

In case of sale of loose eggs, the following information must be displayed in a way that is easily visible and clearly legible to the consumer:

• quality category;
• weight category;
• farming method;
• explanation of the meaning of the producer code;
• minimum shelf life (article 14 – Information to be provided in case of sale of loose eggs).

Tolerances

The tolerances defined by the regulation concern:

• quality defects. Within the controls on category A eggs, quality defects are tolerated within 5% of the batch at the packing center, within 7% at other marketing stages. Tolerances doubled when the batch checked is less than 180 eggs. Zero tolerance on the air cell height of «extra» or «extra fresh» eggs (article 18 – Tolerance for quality defects);
• weight. The tolerance on the unit weight of eggs in a batch is set at 10% of the total, within the weight categories adjacent to that indicated on the packaging, but not exceeding 5% of eggs in the immediately lower weight category. In this case too, tolerances are doubled for batches of less than 180 eggs (article 19 – Tolerances for egg weight);
• stamping. Finally, a tolerance of 20% is allowed for eggs with illegible markings (article 19 – Tolerances for egg weight).

Conclusions

Regulation (EU) 2023/2465 provides a clear framework for theconsumer information on the characteristics of fresh eggs placed on the market in the Single Market, whether pre-packaged or loose.

The areas of greatest interest for European consumers remain:

• The animal welfare, where the standards applied in the organic system remain the only true premium safeguard for the most discerning consumers, pending a structural reform of EU legislation (Dongo, 2025; Strinati, 2025);
• imports from Third Countries. The obligation to stamp the shell the ISO code of the country of origin is essential to ensure supply chain transparency.

In a globalized market, this measure offers consumers and control bodies an additional tool to defend food safety and enhance local productions, tightening the circle around possible unfair competition phenomena.

Dario Dongo

Credit cover  Erika Varga from Pixabay

References

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465 of 17 August 2023 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards marketing standards for eggs, and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 589/2008. Consolidated text: 14/10/2024. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2023/2465/2024-10-14

Commission Directive 2002/4/EC of 30 January 2002 on the registration of establishments keeping laying hens, covered by Council Directive 1999/74/EC. Consolidated text: 01/01/2007. http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2002/4/2007-01-01

Dongo, D. (2025, April 29). Poultry welfare in the EU, call for reform. FT (Food Times). https://www.foodtimes.eu/it/sistemi-alimentari/benessere-pollame-ue-appello-riforma/

Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products. Consolidated text: 18/03/2026. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1308/2026-03-18

Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007. Consolidated text: 25/03/2025.

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/848/2025-03-25

Strinati, M. (2025, April 23). Animal welfare, the long-awaited EU reform process restarts. FT (Food Times). https://www.foodtimes.eu/it/pianeta/benessere-animale-iter-riforma/