CA Prop 12 and Question 3 Regulatory Guidance for Retailers

On January 1, 2022, the second deadline for Prop 12 went into effect for egg-laying hens and breeding pigs. As of July 1, 2023, shell eggs and liquid eggs sold in California must come from egg-laying hens that are raised according to the minimum standards outlined in the 2017 edition of the United Egg Producers’ Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg-Laying Flocks: Guidelines for Cage-Free Housing. In addition, whole pork meat sold in California must come from breeding pigs, or the immediate offspring of breeding pigs, confined with a minimum of twenty-four square feet per pig.

As a grocery store, retailer, or food distributor, it is your responsibility to only source Prop 12-compliant shell eggs, liquid eggs, veal and pork meat for commercial sale in California.