Is an egg with blood on the shell unfit for consumption?

It depends on where the blood is. Blood only on the shell is a surface matter and is not, by itself, the case in item I. Item I covers blood that also reaches the white, which only candling or breaking the egg can confirm (RIISPOA, art. 500, I).

Is every cracked egg unfit for consumption?

No. A clean cracked egg with intact shell membranes is not a case in art. 500 and goes to industrial processing as soon as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227). It becomes unfit under art. 500 when the broken shell is also dirty (item VI) or when the membranes are broken too (item VII).

Can a camera identify unfit eggs?

Only in part. A surface camera can see faecal dirt, a broken shell and some signs of leakage, which correspond to items V, VI and VII. Internal changes, such as internal mold, rot and changes to the yolk and white, need candling or breaking.

Guide · Standards and regulation

Which eggs are unfit for human consumption?

Eggs are unfit for human consumption when, as they are found, they show one of the seven cases in art. 500 of RIISPOA. Some cases appear on the shell, such as faecal dirt or a broken shell. Internal cases, such as altered yolk or white and rot, need candling or breaking the egg.

Updated October 9, 2026 · 4 min read

What does unfit for human consumption mean under RIISPOA?

Art. 500 of RIISPOA (Decree 9.013/2017) sets out when eggs and egg products must be considered unfit for human consumption. The key phrase is 'as they are found': the judgment is made on the egg in the state it is in at the time of inspection.

Unfit is a different condition from Category B, which is harmless (art. 226). An unfit egg shows one of the problems listed below. See Category B.

What are the seven cases in art. 500?

The table summarises each item and shows whether the case can be seen from outside the egg.

The seven cases in art. 500 and whether they are visible from outside
Item	What RIISPOA describes	Visible from outside?
I	Changes to the yolk and white, such as yolk stuck to the shell, broken yolk, dark or blood spots reaching the white, and an embryo with an orbital spot or in advanced development	No; needs candling or breaking
II	Mummification, or drying from another cause	Not reliably; needs candling or breaking
III	Red, black or white rot	Generally not; needs candling or breaking
IV	Fungal contamination, external or internal	Partly: mold on the shell shows, the inside does not
V	External dirt from faecal material, or contact with substances that transmit foreign odours or flavours	Partly: the dirt shows, the odour and flavour do not
VI	Broken shell and dirt	Yes, on the surface
VII	Broken shell and broken shell membranes	Partly: the broken shell shows; the membrane not necessarily

Which cases can a camera or an inspector see from outside?

Items V, VI and VII leave signs on the shell: faecal dirt, a broken shell and, in some cases, exposed contents. A surface camera sees these signs when the dirt or break appears on the shell. The smell and the state of the membranes under the shell do not show in an image.

Items I, II and III are internal and need candling or breaking. A surface camera does not see them. Vigiovo, for example, measures dirt and cracks on the shell and does not check the interior, so it does not replace candling for these cases. See how it works.

Does every cracked or dirty egg count as unfit?

No. A crack alone, with a clean shell and intact shell membranes, is not a case in art. 500. Such an egg goes to industrial processing as soon as possible (art. 227). The guide on cracked eggs covers the types of crack.

Dirt depends on its origin. Faecal dirt is an unfit case in itself (item V), even without a crack. Other dirt does not appear in that item. A dirty, broken shell is an unfit case under item VI. See faecal contamination on eggs.

How do surface inspection and candling share these cases?

Surface inspection can identify items V and VI, and part of VII, when the dirt or break shows on the shell. Candling is the mandatory step for the rest, such as altered yolk and white, internal mold and blood that reaches the white (RIISPOA, art. 223, II).

Because the internal cases only show on candling or when the egg is broken, the lack of a sign on the shell does not prove that an egg is fit. The mandatory candling guide covers this step.

Frequently asked questions

Is an egg with blood on the shell unfit for consumption?: It depends on where the blood is. Blood only on the shell is a surface matter and is not, by itself, the case in item I. Item I covers blood that also reaches the white, which only candling or breaking the egg can confirm (RIISPOA, art. 500, I).
Is every cracked egg unfit for consumption?: No. A clean cracked egg with intact shell membranes is not a case in art. 500 and goes to industrial processing as soon as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227). It becomes unfit under art. 500 when the broken shell is also dirty (item VI) or when the membranes are broken too (item VII).
Can a camera identify unfit eggs?: Only in part. A surface camera can see faecal dirt, a broken shell and some signs of leakage, which correspond to items V, VI and VII. Internal changes, such as internal mold, rot and changes to the yolk and white, need candling or breaking.

Sources

Decreto nº 9.013/2017 (RIISPOA), Presidência da República (Brasil)

How Vigiovo helps

Vigiovo grades eggs on the conveyor as clean, dirty, cracked or unverified, in real time, with deterministic computer vision: every decision comes with the measurements behind it, on an ordinary CPU.

See how it works