Comparison · Running the line
How should you record egg grading: a spreadsheet or automatic records?
A spreadsheet or paper log keeps totals and notes, and the quality of the record depends on who filled it in. An automatic record keeps each egg: its class, the reason and the measurements used. For an audit, what counts is showing what was decided and how each result added up to the total. MAPA requires the verification and the production flows to be described in the self-control programme, and a per-egg record helps produce that evidence.
Updated · 4 min read
What must a grading record show in an audit?
A record is useful in an audit when someone can redo the count from it. It must show what was decided, for which batch and shift, and how the total reached the final number. MAPA expects the verification to have its frequency, evaluation method and record form defined in the self-control programme (question 34).
The record must also make the production flow traceable. When a company separates egg types or downgrades eggs for commercial reasons, the flow must be described in the programme and in the product record (questions 27 and 33). A record that doesn't separate those flows proves nothing about them.
What does a spreadsheet or paper log record?
A spreadsheet or paper log records what the team wrote down, usually shift totals, defect counts and a note. It is simple to set up, easy to read and good for spotting trends. It depends on someone counting, typing and checking each number, and every manual step can introduce an error.
In a spreadsheet the total is rarely linked to each egg. If someone asks why a given egg went to a certain class, the answer lives in the memory of whoever counted, and an auditor cannot check it. A shift quality report built from per-egg records avoids much of this problem.
How does a per-egg record from an automatic system work?
An automatic record, such as Vigiovo's, keeps one line per egg: the class given, the scores, a plain-language reason and the measurements used in the decision. With it, the team can open any egg and see why it was graded that way. The decision is deterministic: the same image always gives the same result. See how Vigiovo grades eggs without AI.
A per-egg record is evidence of what the equipment decided, not evidence of what is inside the egg. It sees the surface and nothing more. For what a per-egg record needs to hold, see per-egg records for audits.
Which record suits an audit best?
It depends on what the audit asks. For totals and trends, a spreadsheet is enough. To check a specific decision or show that each egg went through the criteria, the per-egg record closes the gap. The table compares the two in practice.
| Criterion | Spreadsheet or paper log | Per-egg record (automatic) |
|---|---|---|
| Unit recorded | Totals and counts per shift | Each egg, with class and reason |
| How the count is redone | Recounting from the notes | Opening the egg and seeing the measurements used |
| Typing | Totals typed by hand at each step | Generated by the system, no typing |
| Consistency across shifts | Depends on who counted | Same criteria for the same image |
| Proof of a specific decision | Weak | Strong, with reason and measurements |
| Manual check | Done and recorded separately | Done and recorded separately, when required |
| Reach | Limited to what was written down | Limited to what the camera sees |
The table describes general practice and the team's judgement, not a MAPA rule. It doesn't say which record is required.
How do you move from a spreadsheet to an automatic record?
Keep the spreadsheet running in parallel for a period, compare the system's totals with the spreadsheet's, and record each difference and its cause. That way the team knows whether the numbers agree before it depends on the new record.
Before changing any record, define what the audit must find, especially the frequency and record of the checks (question 34) and the separated flows (question 27). A practical starting point for a trial is the camera pilot checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Is a spreadsheet enough for a grading audit?
- It can be enough for totals and trends, but it is usually weak at proving a specific decision. If an auditor asks why one egg was graded a certain way, a spreadsheet alone cannot answer. Keep both: the totals, and a record that proves each decision.
Does an automatic record remove the need for a manual check?
- No, where a check is required. MAPA asks for a validated manual sampling check for electronic candling equipment (question 34). A surface camera is not electronic candling, but a manual check by people is still good practice for confirming what the camera decides.
Does an automatic record prove what is inside the egg?
- No. A surface camera sees the shell and records what it sees. The air cell, the yolk and hairline cracks are out of its reach, and the record doesn't change that. For the inside of the egg, candling remains the reference method.
Sources
- Perguntas e respostas sobre a Portaria MAPA nº 612/2022 (versão de 05/06/2023), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)
- Como o Vigiovo classifica ovos sem IA / How Vigiovo grades eggs without AI, Vigiovo
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.