Arizona law / laws regarding the selling of our eggs

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

I am hoping to sell some eggs when my chickens start laying and found this online. I thought it might be helpful to others looking for the same information.

* We can sell up to 750 dozen "unclassified" eggs a year, but must label each package as "unclassified".

* We have to register with the AZ Dept. of Agricuture as an unclassified egg seller (there are no fees to register). See link below for registration form.

* We have to keep receipts for eggs sold to retailers for 30 days (must include buyer's name & address).

* We have to cover up the store name on re-used egg cartons.

* We are not allowed to use the terms "fresh" or "local" in our advertising.

http://www.azda.gov/licensing/EggCombo.pdf

 

[allaboutdemchicks]

I do not live in Arizona but I still find you information interesting. It makes me curious about my home state. Thanks...

 

[TransitionArizona]

Thanks for the link! That was just the information I was looking for.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Right, because commercial laid eggs are?

I'm glad to not be in AZ, but it is nice that these are put out in the public for others to know of.

 

[GardenerGal]

You could get around the "no use of 'local' or 'fresh'" part by using "laid by (name of your town), Arizona chickens this week."

 

[Chick Charm]

Funny thing is that your eggs will always be more "local" and "fresher" than any store bought egg. I would much rather by an egg from you than from kroger. Keep up the good work.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

The USDA considers freshness to be determined by their grading system, so eggs cannot be sold as "Fresh", only as certain grades, or un-graded. Many states have this stipulation in their egg regulations.

That's the first time I have heard any concerns about the use of "Local" though. I guess the concern is that "Local" can be widely interpreted. Is "Local" within your municipality? Within the neighboring municipalities? Within your region or state? Within 5, 10, or 50 miles? Without being able to define it, they are banning its use.

 

[Judy]

I don't have a problem with not using "fresh" or "local." They really don't mean anything, anyway, as another poster pointed out about "local." How do I know they weren't laid a month or three months ago and you consider that "fresh?" A date (or time frame) and location make more sense if you're selling at a farm stand, and if you're selling to coworkers or neighbors you aren't likely to mark them anyway.

 

[TransitionArizona]

I live a golf tee shot away from my local Safeway store in Prescott, AZ. I went in yesterday and spoke the the store manager if she would be interested in buying some eggs. She told me to call the corporate office in Tempe, AZ. I inquired a bit further and asked her, if I went through the corporate process, if she personally would have an interest in buying the eggs. She replied that she wouldn't know and I really needed to start with corporate. (this was the store manager, mind you, not a shift supervisor or something...)

So I called the corporate headquarters, got the run around a bit, and was eventually told I needed to contact the main corporate office in California. I asked if he had the number, and he said he didn't have it that I should just get it off the website. So I went to sa**feway_com website and only found numbers having to do with club cards and promotions etc. Called anyway, and stuck in voicemail hell, gave up and hung up.

Forget it. I will go back to the idea of selling eggs directly to consumers, or start looking into other small shops around town.

 

[GardenerGal]

I would never try the big national chain supermarkets, mainly because of the runaround ("Call corporate HQ") like you got, and because they sell in such volume that they usually have contractual deals with the huge egg "farms" that send them truckloads.

You probably have a better chance of doing business if you approach a smaller supermarket chain. Here in Mass., we have a family-owned chain that has stores just in Massachusetts and in southern New Hampshire. I checked out the different egg "brands" at one of those markets, and found that they were doing business with several smaller family-owned egg farms all in New England or upstate New York -- local enough, and not "mega" egg farms.

Also, if you have mom-and-pop supermarkets, convenience stores and "boutique" food stores (that cater to upscale consumers, with high-quality, truly local produce and cottage-industry farm products), those are your best bets, in my opinion.

There was a big scare here in Mass. this past fall, when a mega-eggfarm in Iowa shipped thousands of salmonella-contaminated eggs to stores here. A bunch of people were sickened, some seriously. Maybe it's part of the reason why Congress is all about "safe food" now. But, in my state people do have a lot of trust in the small farmers to provide safe food to their neighbors. It's worth a shot at the smaller chains and individual small stores, if you have enough eggs to make it worth your, and their, while.