The Egg Quality Assurance™ (EQA®) program is an industry-wide initiative that certifies Canadian eggs are produced according to strict food safety and animal welfare standards.
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About
All EQA® certified eggs have met the highest standards of Egg Farmers of Canada’s Start Clean-Stay Clean® and Animal Care Programs. No matter what type of egg you choose, EQA® ensures Canadians get fresh, local, high-quality eggs produced by Canadian farmers.
The EQA™ program has three key benefits:
Voice-over:
An egg. So simple, right? It can be a lot of things…
And Canadians love them. Each Canadian actually eats about 240 eggs each year. That’s a lot.
But what kind of care goes into each egg before it gets to grocery store shelves?
There’s quite a bit, so we’ll fill you in.
We created a new program to tell Canadians that before eggs get to them, they have to meet world-class quality standards. It’s called the EQA program. That stands for Egg Quality Assurance. It shows Canadians right on the carton that their eggs are produced according to strict food safety and animal welfare standards.
We’ll break it down for you. There are two pillars in the EQA program.
The first is the Animal Care Program. It makes sure every Canadian egg comes from a hen that’s well cared for. A trained field inspector visits each farm to ensure the hens have a comfortable environment, a well-balanced nutritious diet and fresh water.
The second is the Start Clean-Stay CleanTM program. That’s our food safety program. That means the storage, cleanliness, air quality, feed and record keeping of farms are regularly checked.
These world-class standards and practices have been in place on Canadian farms for more than 20 years.
This one easy to identify mark lets us maintain consumers’ trust.
By adding the symbol to cartons, we proudly show the commitment Canadian farmers put into delivering the best eggs possible. And with 94% of Canadians believing egg cartons should have a certification symbol, it just makes sense.
So the next time Canadians bite into their morning scramble, an afternoon snack or a delicious dinner, they can rest assured those are high-quality eggs.
Celebrate the quality of Canadian eggs with us. Learn how to get involved at eggquality.ca.
New Egg Quality Assurance™ Program
The Egg Quality Assurance™ (EQA®) program shows Canadians that their eggs, produced by Canadian farmers, meet national food safety and animal care standards.
WHO IS INVOLVED?
The EQA® program involves the entire Canadian egg industry—from egg farmers and graders to processors and retailers. All are encouraged to work together to meet the requirements of the EQA® certification and promote the benefits of purchasing EQA® certified eggs to their customers.
Canadian egg graders, processors, grocery retailers and foodservice providers interested in displaying the EQA® mark are invited to get in touch to learn more:
Contact usPURPOSE AND VISION
In an environment where Canadians want to know where their food comes from and be assured of the highest possible standards, the EQA® program highlights and celebrates the exceptional quality of Canadian eggs.
Canadians trust Canadian eggs. In fact, more than 90% of consumers trust the quality standards for food coming from Canadian farms. The EQA® mark is a symbol of that quality and Canadian egg farmers’ commitment to excellence.
When Canadians see the EQA® mark on their egg cartons they will know that their eggs are produced by farmers dedicated to producing a top-quality product that meets national food safety and animal care standards. These efforts go hand-in-hand with Egg Farmers of Canada’s commitment to continuously improve and strengthen egg farming practices to safeguard Canada’s food supply.
PROGRAM PILLARS
All Canadian eggs meet EQA® requirements and the highest standards of Egg Farmers of Canada’s Start Clean-Stay Clean® and Animal Care Programs.
Start Clean-Stay Clean®
Ensuring your eggs are always clean and fresh.
Egg farmers nationwide have implemented a comprehensive on-farm food safety program called Start Clean-Stay Clean®. The program includes everything from on-farm inspections, to mandated standards for storage, cleanliness, air quality, feed and record keeping.
Animal Care Program
Ensuring hens are always well cared for.
Canadian egg farmers take part in a comprehensive, national Animal Care Program. As part of this program, trained field inspectors visit the farm to ensure that hens have a comfortable environment, a well-balanced and nutritious diet, fresh water and clean surroundings.
QUALITY PRINCIPLES
Canada is known for having some of the highest standards in the world for egg safety and quality and the EQA® program helps ensure those standards are maintained.
Quality is achieved through five key principles:
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Critical requirements
Scientifically informed and developed with the involvement of industry stakeholders.
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Verification
Ensures farmers maintain records so program adherence can be easily tracked.
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Third-party auditing
Inspections conducted by professionals ensure each farm meets all standards.
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Continuous improvement
Standards are reviewed regularly and requirements are updated based on new research and scientific data.
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Farmer commitment
Full participation of all regulated Canadian egg farmers from coast to coast.