We all know that during the coronavirus pandemic, more people are cooking at home out of necessity. Many people are cooking for themselves for the first time. And some of those people haven't been taught about food safety. CNBC's Make It section found the top 10 most-googled recipes during quarantine. And we are listing the food safety issues with some of those recipes. The top 10 recipes are for: banana bread, pancakes, chicken, pizza dough, brownie, Recette crepe, meatloaf, French toast, lasagna, and cheesecake. All of these recipes can make you sick if not prepared correctly. Baking Recipes The potential food safety issues with the baking recipes are with eggs and flour. Don't make any recipe that calls for eggs and isn't cooked or baked before eating. Eggs can be … [Read more...]
What You Need to Know About Salmonella and Eggs
With the coronavirus pandemic forcing more people to cook at home, many consumers need reminders about food safety. If you haven't cooked in a long time, you should know that there are some foods that are considered high risk and need to be handled with care. One of those foods is eggs, more specifically Salmonella and eggs. Many Salmonella outbreaks have been linked to raw and undercooked eggs. Eggs should be coked to a final temperature of 160°F, as measured with a reliable food thermometer. That means that sunny side up and over-easy eggs are not safe to eat, especially if anyone in your family is in a high risk group for food poisoning. Those groups, which have a higher rate of hospitalization and even death from bacterial infections, include young children, anyone over the … [Read more...]
FDA Weighs In On the End of the Almark Foods Eggs Listeria Outbreak
The FDA is weighing in on the end of Almark Foods eggs Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has sickened eight people in 5 states, hospitalized five, and killed one person in Texas. This high hospitalization rate is fairly typical for a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak. Almark Foods recalled hard boiled and peeled eggs in pails on December 20, 2019 and then expanded that recall on December 23, 2019 to include all hard boiled eggs produced at the company's Gainesville, Georgia facility. At this time, the firm is no longer producing any products at that facility. The company also sold hard boiled eggs at the retail level. In fact, there were several secondary recalls of salads and other products after the initial recall. The recalled products are now past their "Best by" date, the … [Read more...]
Almark Eggs Listeria Outbreak Ends With 8 Sick, 5 Hospitalized, 1 Death
The Almark Eggs Listeria outbreak has ended with 8 sick in 5 states, 5 hospitalized, and 1 death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest announcement. A recall was issued for Almark Foods hard boiled eggs that had "Best If Used By" dates through March 2, 2020. These eggs are past their shelf life and shouldn't be available for sale, but some consumers may still have them in their homes and restaurants could have them in storage coolers. They should be discarded. The case count by state is: Florida (1), Maine (2), Pennsylvania (1), South Carolina (2), and Texas (2). Listeria specimens from patients were collected from April 10, 2017 to December 7, 2019. These dates are so far apart because the investigators used PulseNet to look for people sickened with … [Read more...]
Researchers at Flinders University Use Sous Vide To Remove Salmonella From Eggshells
Researchers at Flinders University in Australia have found a way to use sous vide to remove Salmonella from the surface of eggshells. The study was published in Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. Sous vide is a cooking method where food is vacuum sealed inside plastic bags and immersed in a water bath for longer periods of time than other methods. The water temperature is set to the desired final internal temperature of the food. Eggs can be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, and in fact, several outbreaks in recent years have been linked to shell eggs. Because of this potential contamination, food safety experts advise consumers to cook eggs thoroughly to 160°F, avoid recipes that use uncooked and undercooked eggs, and to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after … [Read more...]
Do You Make Spaghetti Carbonara? You Need to Read This
If you make Spaghetti Carbonara, as I do, which is that traditional dish where raw eggs are beaten, then stirred into hot cooked spaghetti (to "cook" the eggs), you need to read this study published in LWT, a journal of Food Science and Technology. This method of cooking does not kill all bacteria that may be present in the eggs. The only thermal processing, or kill step, is heat transfer from the hot pasta, which isn't sufficient to destroy all of the pathogens. Scientists inoculated egg yolks with a pool of Salmonella reaching 8.8 log10 CFU/g. The contaminated egg yolks were added to the cooked spaghetti, after the pot was taken off the heat. Right after the pasta was cooked and drained, it was 86°C (186°F), which is quite hot and well above the 165°F the eggs need to reach to … [Read more...]
Almark Eggs Secondary Recalls For Listeria Monocytogenes Listed
Since Almark Foods recalled their hard boiled eggs on December 20, 2019, there have been several secondary recalls issued for products made with those eggs. There is a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to those eggs, although none of these recalled products have been associated with that outbreak. We are keeping the recalls here so you can refer to them if necessary. The deadly outbreak has sickened 7 people in 5 states. One person who lived in Texas died and four people have been hospitalized. The illness onset dates in this outbreak range start on April 10, 2019. That's pretty typical for a listeriosis outbreak, since investigators use the PulseNet system to find people sickened by the same bacterial strain. These are all of the recalls of Almark Foods hard boiled eggs … [Read more...]
Great American Deli Egg Salad Sandwich Recalled For Listeria
Great American Deli of Ooltewah, Tennessee is recalling their Egg Salad Sandwich for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The eggs were supplied by Knott's Fine Foods, which buys hard cooked eggs from Almark Foods. There is a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak associated with Almark Foods hard-boiled eggs, but there are no reports of illness related to the consumption of these egg salad sandwiches. The recalled product is GAD #114 Egg Salad Sandwich sold in 4.8 ounce packages. The UPC number on the product is 7-41431-00114-2. The affected lots are: 19094, 19107, 19129, 19155, 19158, 19218, 19237, 19259, 19274, 19297, 19304, 19310, 19322, 19336. The product could have been sold in these states through convenience stores, micro markets and vending machines: Wisconsin, Iowa, … [Read more...]
FDA Updates Almark Foods Eggs Listeria Monocytogenes Outbreak
The FDA has updated the Almark Foods Eggs Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has sickened 7 people in 5 states. Secondary recalls have been announced, including one where Almark recalled all of its hard-boiled egg products within shelf life, up through March 2, 2020. Almark Foods is no longer producing products from their Gainesville, Georgia facility. Three secondary recalls have been issued: Bakkavor Foods (Trader Joe’s Egg Salad and Potato Salad) Diebergs Kitchen (Diebergs Market products) Reichel Foods (Pro2Snax To The Max) A fourth recall has been issued since the FDA update: Great American Deli has recalled their 4.8 ounce Egg Salad Sandwiches with UPC number 7-41431-00114-2, sold in micro marts, vending machines, and convenience stores around the … [Read more...]
Pro2Snax to the Max Snack Kits Recalled For Listeria Monocytogenes
Reichel Foods is voluntarily recalling some Pro2Snax to the Max snack kits because they may have been made with single serve prepackaged hard boiled eggs produced by Almark Foods of Gainesville, Georgia. Almark Foods hard cooked eggs have been recalled because they are associated with a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in the U.S. There have been no reported illnesses related to Pro2Snax to the Max products. The recalled products are single serve Hard Boiled Eggs with apples and other ingredients. They include Pro2Snax to the Max Granny Apples/Hard Boiled Egg/Cheddar/Cashew & Craisin with UPC number 649632001490; and Pro2Snax to the Max Gala Apples/Hard Boiled Egg/White Cheddar/Almond & Craisin with UPC number 649632001483. They were sold in retail stores nationwide. You can see … [Read more...]
