National rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Mexico?

Mexico's egg health standard NOM-159 binds those who process, import or sell eggs: no dirty or broken-shell eggs, shell eggs sold as such must not be washed, and consumer labels must show laying and best-before dates.

Read from 7 official sources27 passages quotedChecked October 25, 2026

At a glance

License

Not stated

Small-flock line

Not established for small egg sellers

Farmers markets

Not stated

Cartons

New only

In plain English

No small-seller provision was found in the federal texts checked on 2026-10-25 (Ley General de Salud, NOM-159-SSA1-2016). The list of establishments that need a sanitary authorisation in Art. 198 (medicines, pesticides, radiation sources, surgery and haemodialysis, parenteral mixing) does not include food businesses; other articles on authorisations were not checked. Establishments that need no authorisation and that the Secretaría de Salud designates by agreement must file a notice of operation (aviso de funcionamiento) with it or the state government at least thirty days before opening. Whether a backyard egg seller is designated was not established; NOM-159 itself applies to anyone selling eggs. Ask your state health authority.

A sourced reading of the rules in Mexico, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Secretaría de Salud (COFEPRIS) and state health authorities before you sell.

Do you need a license?

Not stated in the sources we readNot established for small egg sellers
  • A 2009 Secretaría de Salud agreement lists wholesale egg trade (SCIAN 431140) among activities that file a notice of operation; no row for egg production on the farm was found in its annex, and whether that agreement is still the current list was not established.
  • State governments verify and control establishments that sell food to the public, including food in its natural state.Ley General de Salud, Art. 199

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

Not stated

NOM-159 applies to anyone who sells eggs: no dirty or broken-shell eggs, no washing of shell eggs sold as such, and no reuse of used egg containers. State governments verify establishments that sell food to the public. No national rule on farm-gate sales was found in the texts checked on 2026-10-25; ask your state health authority.

Farmers markets

Not stated

Markets and supply centres are a municipal public service under the Constitution, and NOM-159 applies to anyone selling eggs. No national rule on market egg sales was found in the texts checked on 2026-10-25; ask the municipality and your state health authority.

Stores and restaurants

Not stated

State governments verify and control establishments that sell food to the public, including food in its natural state, and NOM-159 applies to egg sellers. No rule on backyard eggs sold to shops or restaurants was found in the texts checked on 2026-10-25; ask your state health authority.

Also check with: State governments, which verify establishments selling food to the public (Ley General de Salud, Arts. 13(B), 199); municipalities for markets and supply centres (Constitution, Art. 115(III)(d))

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

New cartons are required for eggs you sell.

“6.2.1.2 No se deben reutilizar los envases usados para transportar, almacenar o distribuir el huevo con cascarón.”

Refrigeration

“6.2.1.5 El huevo con cascarón que se haya sometido a refrigeración debe de mantener la cadena de frío durante todo el proceso, es decir hasta la venta al consumidor.”

The label must show

  • Laying date
  • Best-before date

Grading

Not stated in the sources we read.

NOM-159 sets no grade or size classes for shell eggs in the points read. A Mexican standard on fresh hen eggs, NMX-FF-127-SCFI-2016, is listed as in force by the Secretaría de Economía; whether it binds a backyard seller was not established.

Washing

“6.1.7 El huevo con cascarón que será comercializado como tal, no deberá ser lavado.”

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

Keeping chickens in Mexico? →Registration, bird-flu housing powers and welfare rules, on their own page.Not established

Common questions

Do I need a license to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Mexico?
Mexico's egg health standard NOM-159 binds those who process, import or sell eggs: no dirty or broken-shell eggs, shell eggs sold as such must not be washed, and consumer labels must show laying and best-before dates. Small-flock line: not established for small egg sellers. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Mexico?
Not stated in the sources we read. Markets and supply centres are a municipal public service under the Constitution, and NOM-159 applies to anyone selling eggs. No national rule on market egg sales was found in the texts checked on 2026-10-25; ask the municipality and your state health authority. Also check with State governments, which verify establishments selling food to the public (Ley General de Salud, Arts. 13(B), 199); municipalities for markets and supply centres (Constitution, Art. 115(III)(d)).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Mexico?
No: Mexico requires new cartons for eggs you sell. The rule reads: "6.2.1.2 No se deben reutilizar los envases usados para transportar, almacenar o distribuir el huevo con cascarón."
What has to be on the carton label in Mexico?
Laying date, Best-before date. The rule reads: "10.3 Indicar la fecha de postura, así como la fecha de consumo preferente para el huevo con cascarón."
Do eggs I sell in Mexico have to be kept cold?
The rule reads: "6.2.1.5 El huevo con cascarón que se haya sometido a refrigeración debe de mantener la cadena de frío durante todo el proceso, es decir hasta la venta al consumidor."
Sources
Read the 27 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • No duty to refrigerate shell eggs was found in NOM-159; shell eggs that have been refrigerated must keep the cold chain until sale.
  • Whether a backyard egg seller must file a notice of operation, and state and municipal market rules, were not established; ask your state health authority and the municipality.
  • Whether backyard hens must be entered in the federal animal-health registers was not established: the campaign rules for poultry were not read, and the traceability register covers production units where the agriculture ministry determines the animals to be regulated goods. Ask SENASICA, the federal animal-health service named in the regulation.
  • SENASICA's avian-influenza status page could not be read. Current status is not shown.
  • Whether a city restricts keeping chickens is set in municipal bylaws and zoning and was not researched.

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