Are you thinking about keeping backyard chickens because of high egg prices? Read this first, because there are some food safety issues you need to know. The bucolic image of some chickens strutting around your backyard, pecking at the ground and emitting gentle clucks, laying eggs that you can gather warm and fry for your breakfast, is misleading. Taking care of a flock of chickens is a lot of work, and if you aren't careful, an infection can land you or your kids in the hospital with a serious illness, according to the CDC. Every year in recent memory, hundreds of people are sickened and dozens are hospitalized in Salmonella outbreaks after contact with backyard birds. And these numbers are at least 30 times higher than the reported case counts, because the case counts are very … [Read more...]
Safer Food Choices For Those at Risk For Food Poisoning
Every month there is at least one food recall about a potentially dangerous food in the United States. These recalls are for foods that may be contaminated with E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, cyclospora, and Campylobacter. Unfortunately, some foods are inherently risky because of the way they are grown or prepared. While the general public certainly is at risk for illness from these foods, there are some people who can become seriously ill if they are infected. There are safer food choices for anyone who is at high risk for food poisoning complications. People at higher risk for serious complications from food poisoning include the very young, the elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic health problems such as diabetes, and anyone with a compromised immune system. … [Read more...]
Holiday Reminder: Raw Dough Can Contain Dangerous Pathogens
It's time for the annual holiday reminder: raw dough can contain dangerous pathogens. While most people know that eating raw eggs is risky, fewer know that uncooked flour is also a potential hazard. The FDA has been warning consumers about the potential dangers of raw eggs for decades. Eggs can carry Salmonella bacteria not only on the shell, but inside the egg itself. Hens can carry the pathogen in their ovaries, so the eggs are then contaminated from the inside out. Always handle raw eggs as if they are contaminated. Cook them thoroughly, and avoid recipes that use raw eggs. Eggs that are pasteurized are safe to eat raw, as long as you follow expiration dates. There have been outbreaks linked to raw, or uncooked flour, in the past few years. Flour is a raw agricultural product … [Read more...]
Are Eggs Safe to Eat During the Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak?
No doubt you have heard of the serious bird flu outbreak that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of birds, including chickens. So you may have wondered: are eggs safe to eat during the pathogenic Avian influenza outbreak? The FDA has some answers. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a disease caused by a virus. It is often referred to as the bird or avian flu. The virus spreads naturally among wild aquatic birds around the world. It can and has infected domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. This virus does not normally infect humans, but one person who lives in Colorado recently tested positive for this virus. That person was involved in the culling of poultry and had direct exposure to infect birds. On February 8, 2022, HPAI was detected in a … [Read more...]
Tips for Easter Egg Hunt Safety From Fight Bac
Get tips for Easter egg hunt safety from Fight Bac. Remember that eggs are perishable foods just like meat and poultry, and should be cooked thoroughly and handled with care. Even clean, uncracked eggs can, and have been, contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes bacteria and have caused many illnesses. When you are coloring eggs for AEser, only use eggs that have been refrigerated, and discard any cracked or dry eggs. To cook eggs, place a single layer in a cause pan and add cold water to cover the eggs by one inch. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, then remove the pan from the heat and cover it. Let the eggs stand for 18 minutes for extra large, 15 minute for large, ant 12 minutes for medium. Then drain the eggs and immediately run cold water over them. You … [Read more...]
Yearly Reminder: Don’t Eat Raw Cookie Dough or Cake Batter!
The holiday baking season has begun, and it's time for the yearly reminder: don't eat raw cookie dough or cake batter! There are two specific ingredients in those recipes that can make you very sick: raw flour and raw eggs. The only way to destroy those pathogens is with heat. Pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes are destroyed when they are heated to 160°F. While it may seem counterintuitive that a dry product such as flour can contain pathogens, flour is a raw agricultural product. It can be contaminated in the field, during harvest, or transport, or during processing just like leafy greens or other produce. There have been many recalls of flour for pathogen contamination, and several serious multistate outbreaks linked to that product. E. coli … [Read more...]
Do You Know Food Safety Rules For Baking in the Kitchen?
Do you know food safety rules for baking in the kitchen? You may know to handle eggs carefully and to bake cookie doughs and cake batters before eating them, but do you know why? With a new E. coli outbreak linked to cake mix, these rules are more important than ever. Many people know that raw eggs can contain pathogenic bacteria, and think that's why food safety experts say not to eat raw cookie dough and cake batter. But eggs are not the only safety issue when baking. As improbable as it seems, flour is a raw agricultural product and not only can it be contaminated with pathogens, it has caused several multistate food poisoning outbreaks in the past few years. All-purpose, cake flour, and bread flour are made from wheat, which is grown in fields. And like all foods grown … [Read more...]
Canada Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Eggs Ends With 70 Sick
The Canada Salmonella outbreak linked to eggs has ended with 70 sick in two provinces, according to Public Health Canada. A specific brand of eggs was not named in the outbreak investigation notice. The patient case count by province is: Newfoundland and Labrador (27), and Nova Scotia (43). Illness onset dates ranged from late October 2020 to mid-March 2021. Nineteen patients were hospitalized because they were so sick. The patient age range was from 2 to 98 years of age. Between October and December 2020, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued food recall warnings for a variety of eggs that wee sold in those two provinces. Some people who got sick reported exposure to the recalled eggs, but there were a number of patients who did not. The outbreak seems to be over, … [Read more...]
How Long Can You Store Easter Eggs After the Holiday?
Making and decorating hard cooked eggs for the Easter holiday is traditional. But how long can you store Easter eggs after the holiday? The answer is one week. Which means that this next Sunday, all of your hard cooked Easter eggs should be eaten or discarded. If you stored the eggs after peeling, they should be kept in a bowl of cold water. And change the water every day. Unfortunately, you can't freeze whole hard cooked eggs or they will be rubbery. You can remove and freeze the yolks if you want. Of course, that time frame assumes that you cooked the eggs to well done, refrigerated them within two hours of cooking, and stored them in a refrigerator at a temperature less than 40°F. And used food-grade dye to color the eggs. And that you didn't hide them directly on the ground … [Read more...]
Canada Salmonella Egg Outbreak Sickens 57 in Two Provinces
A Canada Salmonella egg outbreak has sickened at least 57 people in two provinces in that country, according to an outbreak investigation notice posted by Public Health Canada. Food recall warnings were issued for eggs sold in those provinces between October and December 2020. All of those eggs are past their use by dates, but more sources could be identified as the investigation processes. The patient case count by province is: Newfoundland and aerator (25) and Nova Scotia (32). Illness onset dates range from late October 2020 and late January 2021. Nineteen patients have been hospitalized because they are so sick, which is a high percentage for a Salmonella outbreak. The patient age range is between 2 and 98 years of age. Investigators have found that exposure to eggs is the … [Read more...]
