Congressman Harrigan Introduces the Lowering Egg Prices Act to Repeal Outdated FDA Rule
Contact: Lexi Kranich (814) 380-4408
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10) has introduced the Lowering Egg Prices Act alongside Congressman Josh Riley (D-NY-19) to repeal an outdated FDA regulation that has driven up egg prices and forced the broiler industry to discard hundreds of millions of usable eggs each year. The bill overturns the 2009 Shell Egg Rule, allowing these eggs to be processed safely and efficiently, increasing supply and lowering costs for consumers.
“The FDA’s rule is a textbook example of government overreach making life more expensive for hardworking Americans,” said Congressman Harrigan. “For 15 years, this unnecessary regulation has forced businesses to throw away 400 million perfectly good eggs every single year. That’s over 6 billion eggs wasted—eggs that should have gone to breakfast tables, school lunches, and food banks. There is no public health benefit here, just pure bureaucratic nonsense that’s driving up costs. This bill stops the waste, lowers prices, and restores common sense.”
In 2009, the FDA required shell eggs to be refrigerated at 45°F within 36 hours to reduce salmonella risk. The rule was originally meant for grocery store eggs, but it was later expanded to include broiler eggs, which come from chickens raised for meat. Before this change, broiler eggs were safely pasteurized and used in processed foods. This unnecessary requirement now forces the disposal of 400 million usable eggs each year, driving up prices and limiting supply.
"Families across Upstate New York are struggling to make ends meet because the grocery bills are too high,” said Congressman Josh Riley. “The Lowering Egg Prices Act is a common-sense, bipartisan bill to take unnecessary regulations off the books, put hundreds of millions of eggs on the market, and lower your grocery bill.”
The Lowering Egg Prices Act reverses the FDA rule and allows broiler eggs to be sold to breaking facilities once again, ensuring that millions of eggs reach the market instead of the trash. It also directs the FDA and USDA to issue a replacement rule within 180 days to establish a more efficient and practical regulatory framework.