Can I sell eggs in Iowa?

Do I need a license to sell eggs in Iowa?

Not an egg handler’s license, for eggs from your own flock sold to the people who eat them. Iowa’s egg chapter defines an “egg handler” as “a person who buys or sells eggs, or uses eggs in the preparation of human food,” and leaves out “a retailer, a consumer, an establishment, or a producer who sells eggs as provided in section 196.4” (Iowa Code §196.1, subd. 4). Section 196.4 speaks of “Producers who sell eggs produced exclusively by their own flocks directly to handlers, or to consumers.” The Department’s rule says it outright: “Producers who sell eggs produced exclusively from their own flocks directly to egg handlers or to consumer customers are exempt from regulation as egg handlers” (rule 21—36.1). Its page answers “Sell eggs directly to home consumers: No IDALS license” and “Sell eggs at farmers market: No IDALS license.” The statute’s “producer” is “a person who owns layer type chickens” (§196.1, subd. 9).

The Department’s page is not consistent on registration, and the sources read do not settle it. Its opening says “Anyone engaged in the production, sale or handling of shell eggs or egg products in Iowa must register with IEQAP” (the Iowa Egg Quality Assurance Program), and a table on the same page reads “<3000 hens: IDALS registration required,” beside “Does it matter how many hens I have? Yes, IDALS regulates all egg handlers; there are few exceptions.” The page names no registration form, fee or statute for a producer who sells only direct, the chapter and rules read set none, and the license application read is the egg handler’s. Ask the Department whether a small flock selling only direct to consumers must register, and how.

A license is involved once the buyer resells or serves the eggs. The Department’s page says “If you are producing shell eggs and selling to restaurants, bakeries or grocery stores or transporting shell eggs, regardless of facility size or number of hens, you must comply with the Iowa Egg Handlers rules,” and “Sell eggs to retail store*: Yes, IDALS license required” (“*includes but not limited to retail, bakery, restaurant, or warehouse”). Buying eggs from someone else and selling them makes you an egg handler under the statute’s own words (§196.1, subd. 4). The license lasts two years, with a fee that starts at $40.40 for under 125 cases of 30 dozen in the month of April and rises with volume (§196.3; rule 21—36.2), and is issued for “each location at which eggs will be candled and graded” (§196.6).

The health side is the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL). Its rule says the farmers market license for temperature-controlled foods “is not required in order to sell wholesome, fresh shell eggs to consumer customers” (rule 481—30.2). Its definition of “food establishment” leaves out “Premises or operations that are exclusively engaged in the production of shell eggs, are regulated by Iowa Code section 196.3, and have an egg handler’s license,” and “An establishment that offers only prepackaged foods that are not time/temperature control for safety foods” (rule 481—30.2; Iowa Code §137F.1, subd. 9). The sources read do not say whether a farm’s own egg stand, or a pickup at the farm, is a food establishment when the farm holds no egg handler’s license, or whether shell eggs count as a time/temperature control for safety food, and do not say whether a city or county asks anything more. Ask DIAL.

Dated note: the Department’s rule chapter (rules 21—36.1 to 21—36.13, read as current in the Iowa Administrative Code) carries a rescission date of January 1, 2028 under Iowa Code §17A.7. The sources read do not say what replaces it, and no notice of a change was found.

Source: Iowa Code ch. 196, Iowa Admin. Code r. 21—ch. 36, IDALS, Egg Program, IDALS, Do I need an Iowa Egg Handlers License?, Iowa Code ch. 137F, Iowa Admin. Code r. 481—ch. 30 and DIAL, Farmers Markets.

How many eggs can I sell without a license in Iowa?

None in the direct-sale exemption. Neither the statute (§196.4) nor the rule (21—36.1) names a flock size or a dozen limit for a producer selling own-flock eggs direct to consumers, and no weekly dozen line is in the sources read. The Department’s page says “Producers of shell eggs with a flock over 3,000 hens are also required to be registered with FDA and follow the federal Egg Rule,” and its table reads “>3000 hens: IDALS and FDA registration required.”

The federal rule’s line is worded differently: it covers “a shell egg producer with 3,000 or more laying hens at a particular farm that does not sell all of your eggs directly to consumers” (21 CFR 118.1). The page says over 3,000 and the rule says 3,000 or more, and the sources read do not say which side a flock of exactly 3,000 falls on. The license fee counts “cases” of 30 dozen (§196.3, subd. 3) for a licensed handler, and is not a cap on a producer. The Department says a seller to restaurants, bakeries or grocery stores complies with the handler rules “regardless of facility size or number of hens.”

Source: Iowa Code ch. 196, Iowa Admin. Code r. 21—ch. 36, IDALS, Egg Program and 21 CFR 118.1.

Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Iowa?

Yes, and both departments say no license for shell eggs. The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s page answers “Sell eggs at farmers market: No IDALS license.” DIAL’s rule says its farmers market license for unpackaged temperature-controlled foods “is not required in order to sell wholesome, fresh shell eggs to consumer customers” (rule 481—30.2), and its page lists “Fresh, wholesome shell eggs” among the foods sold at a market without one. The statute makes the vendor responsible: “A vendor who offers a product for sale at a farmers market shall have the sole responsibility to obtain and maintain any license required to sell or distribute the product” (Iowa Code §137F.8). A stall that also sells unpackaged foods that need temperature control for safety, such as meat, dairy or cooked food, takes DIAL’s farmers market license ($150 a year) or another food license for those; DIAL’s page lists packaged foods prepared in a licensed establishment among the foods sold at a market without one.

The sources read do not define “wholesome, fresh,” and do not say what a market’s own manager, or a city or county, asks of a stall selling only eggs. They do not mention an online listing or request either. The statute’s “retailer” is “a person who sells eggs directly to consumers” (§196.1, subd. 10) and the Department’s answer says “directly to home consumers”; neither speaks to how the sale is arranged, so the sources do not say whether an egg request made online and picked up at the farm or a market is a direct sale. Ask the Department.

Source: Iowa Code ch. 196, Iowa Code ch. 137F, Iowa Admin. Code r. 481—ch. 30, IDALS, Do I need an Iowa Egg Handlers License? and DIAL, Farmers Markets.

Can I sell eggs to a restaurant, a store or someone who resells them in Iowa?

Yes, with an egg handler’s license, on the Department’s page. It says “Sell eggs to retail store*: Yes, IDALS license required,” covering retail, bakery, restaurant or warehouse, and says a producer selling to restaurants, bakeries or grocery stores complies with the Egg Handlers rules “regardless of facility size or number of hens.” The rules then ask handlers to candle and grade: “All eggs offered for sale by an egg handler to a retailer, an establishment or a consumer, shall be candled and graded” (§196.7). Eggs sold to an establishment such as a restaurant must be “no lower than United States department of agriculture consumer grade ‘B’” (§196.8, subd. 1), restaurants use “only clean, sound shell eggs of Grade B quality or better” (rule 21—36.7), eggs sold to retailers “must be prepacked in new cartons” (rule 21—36.8, subd. 4), and a handler keeps a record of each purchase and sale for three years (§196.13).

The statute and the rule point the other way for one sentence. Section 196.4 says a producer who sells own-flock eggs “directly to handlers, or to consumers” need not demonstrate the capability to candle and grade, and rule 21—36.1 says such a producer is exempt from regulation as an egg handler when selling “directly to egg handlers or to consumer customers.” Neither names a store or restaurant, which the statute defines as a “retailer” and an “establishment,” not a handler. The sources read do not reconcile that with the Department’s page. Follow the page and ask the Department.

Source: Iowa Code ch. 196, Iowa Admin. Code r. 21—ch. 36, IDALS, Egg Program and IDALS, Do I need an Iowa Egg Handlers License?.

Do I need to grade or label my eggs in Iowa?

For eggs that have been candled and graded, “Each carton containing eggs for retail sale in Iowa … shall be marked with the grade and size of the eggs contained, the date they were packed, and the name and address of the distributor or packer” (§196.10; rule 21—36.8, subd. 2), in letters “not less than ¼ inch in height” (rule 21—36.8, subd. 3). The Department’s page lists the same and adds the “License number or USDA plant number.” A case of loose-packed eggs identifies the handler’s name, license number or USDA plant number, and the grade. Section 196.10 also applies sections 189.9 to 189.12 to packaged, candled and graded eggs, which ask for the true name of the article, the quantity by count, and the name and place of business of the packer or dealer (§189.9). Federal rules put the "Safe Handling Instructions" statement on every carton of shell eggs (21 CFR 101.17(h)). No label may be “deceptive as to the true nature of the article or place of production” (rule 21—36.8, subd. 5).

The sources read do not say what a producer selling only direct to consumers puts on a carton. The carton rule speaks of eggs “which have been candled and graded,” and the sources do not say whether an exempt producer must candle and grade, or label, at all. The chapter also defines “nest run eggs” as eggs “which have not been denatured, candled, graded, processed or labeled” (§196.1, subd. 7) and lets a handler record a sale as “nest run” (§196.13), which does not say whether an exempt producer may sell them. Ask the Department.

Reuse: the rule says only that eggs sold to retailers must be in new cartons (rule 21—36.8, subd. 4). The sources read say nothing about reusing a carton for a sale direct to a consumer. On listings: they set no rule about a price, an advertisement or a list of what a farm has today, only cartons and cases, so they do not say whether a farm’s online list with a price per dozen must carry a grade or size. Ask the Department.

Source: Iowa Code ch. 196, Iowa Code ch. 189, Iowa Admin. Code r. 21—ch. 36, IDALS, Egg Program and 21 CFR 101.17(h).

Do eggs have to be refrigerated to sell in Iowa, and at what temperature?

From candling and grading on, 45°F. The statute says “From the time of candling and grading until they reach the consumer, all eggs designated for human consumption shall be held at a temperature not to exceed 45 degrees Fahrenheit or 7 degrees Celsius ambient temperature,” allows a transport vehicle to run warmer only if its refrigeration can deliver air at that temperature, and says “All shell eggs shall be kept from freezing” (§196.8, subd. 1; rule 21—36.6, which also asks each refrigerated unit for a thermometer).

Both start the clock at candling and grading. The sources read do not say what applies to eggs an exempt producer never candles and grades, or whether the 45°F line reaches a producer selling on the farm. A federal rule holds eggs “stored and displayed under refrigeration at an ambient temperature not greater than 7.2 °C (45 °F)” at a “retail establishment,” an operation that “stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends, or otherwise provides food for human consumption directly to consumers” (21 CFR 115.50), and the sources do not say whether a farm selling its own eggs is one. Ask the Department.

Source: Iowa Code ch. 196, Iowa Admin. Code r. 21—ch. 36 and 21 CFR 115.50.

Can I sell duck, quail or other eggs in Iowa?

The sources read do not say. The statute’s “producer” is “a person who owns layer type chickens” (§196.1, subd. 9), and the exemption in §196.4 is for “Producers.” The rule’s “egg handler” is any person who buys or sells “any eggs” (rule 21—36.1), and neither defines “eggs.” The sources do not say whether a person selling only duck, quail or other eggs is a producer under §196.4 or an egg handler who needs the license, or what grade a duck or quail egg takes under the Iowa standards, which are written for shell eggs graded on the United States consumer grades (rule 21—36.13). Ask the Department.

Source: Iowa Code ch. 196 and Iowa Admin. Code r. 21—ch. 36.

Do I have to wash or candle eggs to sell them in Iowa?

For a handler, candle and grade. “All eggs offered for sale by an egg handler to a retailer, an establishment or a consumer, shall be candled and graded” (§196.7), and “Each person who candles and grades eggs shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department or the United States department of agriculture inspector, the capability to perform candling and grading” (§196.5), at each licensed location (§196.6). A producer selling own-flock eggs direct to handlers or consumers “shall not be required to demonstrate” that capability (§196.4).

Whether an exempt producer candles and grades is not plainly said. Section 196.7 speaks of an egg handler, and the same chapter leaves a producer under §196.4 out of that word, but the sources read do not say in so many words that such a producer may sell eggs uncandled and ungraded. Ask the Department.

Washing is a plant rule: wash water “potable and maintained at a temperature of 90°F minimum,” at least 20°F warmer than the eggs, and eggs “properly washed and sanitized prior to placement in a carton or container for distribution in a site or operation that provides or prepares food for human consumption” (rule 21—36.3, subds. 4 and 5). The sources do not say whether those reach an exempt producer.

Checks and dirties: “a producer may sell checks and dirties on the producer’s own premises where eggs are produced directly to household consumers for the personal use of the consumer and the consumer’s nonpaying guests,” and otherwise they go only to an official plant (rule 21—36.9, subd. 3). Other restricted eggs (leakers, inedible eggs, losses, incubator rejects) may not be sold to anyone (rule 21—36.9, subd. 4), and eggs unfit for human food may not be bought or sold unless denatured (§196.9).

Source: Iowa Code ch. 196 and Iowa Admin. Code r. 21—ch. 36.