National rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Mauritius?

In Mauritius, anyone operating a food business, which includes selling food whether for profit or not, must be registered under the Business Registration Act. No small egg-seller rule was found.

Read from 14 official sources74 passages quotedChecked October 31, 2026

At a glance

Licence

Registration; household sales unclear

Small-flock line

Business registration for any food business; no small-seller threshold found

Farmers markets

Not stated

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

No small-seller provision for eggs was found in the national texts read on 2026-10-30 (the Food Act 2022, in operation since 15 June 2024, and the Food Regulations 2024 as made). Under the Food Act, no one may operate a food business unless registered under section 6 of the Business Registration Act; a food business is any undertaking, whether for profit or not, for any stage of the manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, import or distribution of food, and it includes the sale of food. No definition of "undertaking" or "operate" was found in the texts read, so whether occasional sales of eggs from a household flock count as operating a food business was not established. Under the Food Regulations, everyone engaged in the sale, handling or delivery of food for sale must have a valid Food Handler's Certificate. The Business Registration Act itself was not read.

A sourced reading of the rules in Mauritius, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (Food Act 2022 and Food Regulations 2024); Division of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agro-Industry (livestock registration under the National Livestock Identification System) before you sell.

Do you need a licence?

Registration required for food businesses; unclear if household egg sales countBusiness registration for any food business; no small-seller threshold found
  • Register under section 6 of the Business Registration Act before operating a food business.Food Act 2022, s.4
  • Anyone engaged in the sale, handling or delivery of food for sale must have a valid Food Handler's Certificate with them at all times.Food Regulations 2024, reg. 48(1)
  • Food for sale must not be stored, handled or kept in any place in which an animal is kept.reg. 40(1)(b)
  • Eggs, as defined in Part XI of the regulations (eggs of a bird, including poultry and duck, in which no putrefaction and no development of the embryo has begun, that have not been incubated and whose shell is clean, neither cracked nor broken), may be stored or sold only if they comply with the standards in regs. 106 to 108 (reg. 105); those regulations deal with liquid egg products, and no standard for eggs in the shell was found in them.
  • If eggs are sold as pre-packed food (food packed in a container before it is sold or offered for sale, but not food in bulk cargo containers, pallet overwraps, crates, or craft and vehicles; reg. 2), the package needs a label in English or French showing particulars that include the country of origin, the name and address of the manufacturer, importer, packer or distributor, and a best-before or use-by date (reg. 4(1)). Regulation 4 does not apply to a package of food that is of the nature, quality, quantity, origin or brand the buyer requested and is weighed, counted or measured in the buyer's presence (reg. 14(a)). Whether egg trays count as crates was not established. Eggs are not listed in the First Schedule of foods that need no date.
The exact wording
“No person shall operate a food business unless he is registered under section 6 of the Business Registration Act.”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

Not stated

No farm-gate rule for eggs was found in the national texts read. Selling food is part of a food business under the Food Act 2022, which must be registered under the Business Registration Act (s.4), and anyone engaged in selling food must have a Food Handler's Certificate (Food Regulations 2024, reg. 48(1)).

Farmers markets

Not stated

No rule on selling eggs at markets was found in the national texts read; the food business registration and Food Handler's Certificate rules are not limited to any one place of sale.

Stores and restaurants

Not stated

No rule on shops or restaurants buying eggs from small sellers was found in the national texts read.

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

“No person shall use or cause to be used in the preparation, packaging, storage, delivery or exposure for sale of food, any container that has been used for any other purpose.”

Refrigeration

Not stated in the sources we read.

The label must show

The sources we read don't list label items for small producers.

Grading

Not stated in the sources we read.

Washing

Not stated in the sources we read.

Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.

Keeping chickens in Mauritius? →Registration, bird-flu housing orders and welfare rules, on their own page.Registration: conditions

Common questions

Can I sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Mauritius, and do I need a licence?
In Mauritius, anyone operating a food business, which includes selling food whether for profit or not, must be registered under the Business Registration Act. No small egg-seller rule was found. Small-flock line: business registration for any food business; no small-seller threshold found. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Mauritius?
Not stated in the sources we read. No rule on selling eggs at markets was found in the national texts read; the food business registration and Food Handler's Certificate rules are not limited to any one place of sale.
Can I reuse egg cartons in Mauritius?
The sources we read don't settle this. The rule reads: "No person shall use or cause to be used in the preparation, packaging, storage, delivery or exposure for sale of food, any container that has been used for any other purpose." Ask the Ministry of Health and Wellness (Food Act 2022 and Food Regulations 2024); Division of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agro-Industry (livestock registration under the National Livestock Identification System) before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Mauritius?
The sources we read do not list label items for small producers.
Sources
Read the 74 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • The Food Regulations 2024 were read as made (Government Notice No. 142 of 2024, in operation from 9 September 2024); later amending regulations were not checked. The Supreme Court's legislation list could not be consulted. The Attorney General's Office's Laws of Mauritius site (Revised Laws updated to 30 June 2017) was used only for the Animal Diseases Act.
  • The Food Act 2022 was read as passed. The Economic and Financial Measures (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2025 amends two definitions in its section 2 (analysis and examination); the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Acts 2022, 2023 and 2024 and the Economic and Financial Measures (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 were read and do not amend it; other amending Acts were not checked.
  • No egg-specific grading, carton or storage temperature rule was found in the Food Regulations 2024 read. Food business operators must keep perishable food under appropriate temperature control (reg. 55(1)); the definition of perishable food says only what it includes, and its list names foods containing eggs, such as quiche, but not eggs in the shell (reg. 55(2)); whether eggs in the shell need temperature control was not established. Food business operators must not reuse single service containers (reg. 38(a)), and no container that has been used for any other purpose may be used for food (reg. 20); whether an egg carton is a single service container, or whether reusing one for eggs is barred, was not established.
  • Council trade or premises licences under the Local Government Act 2011 were not researched, and the Business Registration Act was not read.

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