With a large egg recall being announced the past couple of days, it’s a good time to remind you of the details of that plus a few tips on making sure you are being food safe when it comes to eggs.
From the Washington Post:
Federal officials say nearly 207 million eggs have been recalled because of fears that they may have been contaminated with salmonella, a type of bacteria that causes serious illnesses and deaths, particularly among children and elderly people.
Rose Acre Farms – a family-owned egg company based in Indiana – is recalling the products after federal officials tied illnesses to the company’s facility in North Carolina, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. Twenty-two people on the East Coast have been sickened by Salmonella braenderup. No one has died.
An investigation by the federal agency led to an inspection of the farm, which is located in Hyde County, N.C., and produces 2.3 million eggs a day from 3 million hens. Eggs produced at the farm are distributed to retail stores and restaurants in Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the Carolinas.
The recalled eggs were sold under brand names such as Great Value, Country Daybreak and Crystal Farms. They were also sold to Waffle House restaurants and Food Lion stores. (Click here for a full list of brands and stores.)
Rose Acre Farms act swiftly and voluntarily to recall eggs as a result of some illnesses reported. And from my many years of work with egg farmers and egg companies, I see firsthand how these companies take responsibility for ensuring the safety of eggs produced on their egg farms. Providing safe eggs is everything.
U.S. egg farms comply with extensive state and federal regulatory protocols to assure egg safety and prevent disease. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration’s Egg Safety Rule tests for the most common Salmonella serotype – Salmonella Enteritidis – that may occur in egg production. (The Salmonella found in the eggs from Rose Acre Farms – Salmonella Braenderup – has likely never been linked to egg production at all so it’s very rare.)
That said, I think it’s important to remind all of us that consumers have a role to play in food safety as well. Properly storing, handling, and cooking eggs is the strongest defense in preventing foodborne illness.
The Egg Safety Center and the Food and Drug Administration recommend that eggs should be fully cooked until both the yolks and the whites are firm, and consumers should not eat foods that may contain raw or undercooked eggs. (If you want to make a recipe calling for raw egg — like a chocolate silk pie or homemade Caesar salad dressing – then purchase pasteurized egg product for these recipes.)
If you are worried you may have eggs that are recalled, you can check this list here — or if in doubt, just throw them out.
Information about egg safety and proper egg cooking and handling is available at EggSafety.org.
Also, here’s a great blog post from my friend Leah over at Beyer Beware on how to read an egg carton and know where your eggs are coming from.