The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued final guidance designed to help egg producers follow new rules for reducing Salmonella Enteritidis contamination.
The purpose of the document is to provide guidance to egg producers on certain provisions contained in FDA's July 9, 2009, final rule "Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation" (74 FR 33030), including how to implement Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) prevention measures, how to sample for SE, and how to maintain records documenting compliance with the final rule.
FDA's guidance documents, including this guidance, do not establish legally enforceable responsibilities. Instead, guidances describe the Agency's current thinking on a topic and should be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited. The use of the word should in Agency guidances means that something is suggested or recommended, but not required.
