Written question – The Commission’s restrictive rules on eggs – E-001896/2025

Question for written answer  E-001896/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Asger Christensen (Renew)

In Denmark, 11 million eggs are thrown away each year by consumers alone. In the retail sector, it’s not known how many eggs are wasted, but the numbers are thought to run into millions. A large proportion of this food waste is the result of restrictive rules on shelf-life labelling. At the same time, supermarkets are not allowed to repackage eggs or sell them at lower prices if just one egg in the pack is damaged – if this happens, the whole pack has to be thrown away. This is bad for the climate, bad for animals, bad for the environment and bad for people’s pockets.

• 1.Can the Commission provide evidence that the risk of disease – including salmonella in particular – is higher in countries that have set shelf lives at more than 28 days?
• 2.Does the Commission have any current plans to revise the current legislation (Regulation (EC) No 853/2004) to extend the use-by date and the date of last delivery to the consumer, with a view to reducing food waste?
• 3.Does the Commission have any current plans to revise the current legislation (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2466) to allow eggs to be repackaged at stages of the chain other than packing centres, enabling retailers, for example, to remove broken eggs from packs and replace them with intact eggs, thus preventing whole packs of eggs from being wasted?

Submitted: 13.5.2025