Rose Acre Farms of Seymour, Indiana, is recalling 206,749,248 shell eggs because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Braenderup. There are reports that twenty-two people have been sickened with this type of bacteria. The FDA recall notice states that "The voluntary recall was a result of some illnesses reported on the U.S. East Coast, which led to extensive interviews and eventually a thorough FDA inspection of the Hyde County farm, which produces 2.3 million eggs a day. The facility includes 3 million laying hens with a USDA inspector on-site daily." You can see the long list of recalled products, along with the package sizes and the carton UPC numbers, at the FDA web site. The products include the brands of Country Daybreak, Food Lion eggs, Loose USDA, Nelms A Jumbo, … [Read more...]
Easter Food Safety Tips
Foodsafety.gov is offering tips to keep your Easter ham and eggs safe. Ham and eggs are traditional Easter foods in the United States. When you are cooking ham, make sure you know whether or not the product is fully cooked. Hams that are fully cooked are labeled so. Ham that is not ready to eat but looks like it's ready to eat will have a statement on the label that it needs cooking before you can consume it. Fresh, raw, ham, or ham that needs to be cooked first, must reach an internal temperature of 145°F, with a three minute rest time, before it is safe to eat. Make sure that you use a reliable and accurate food thermometer to test the meat. And ham and other meats should be cooked at an oven temperature no lower than 325°F. Cooked ham and cooked vacuum-packaged ham can be … [Read more...]
Undercooked and Raw Eggs Can Make You Sick
Every year, about 79,000 Americans get sick from Salmonella in eggs. And about 30 people die, according to the FDA. While the government has regulations to hep prevent contamination of eggs on the farm and in transit, they have not been unable to eliminate this risk. The pathogenic bacteria can be on the inside of the egg, so eating raw or undercooked eggs puts you at risk of a serious foodborne illness. Here's what you need to know about eggs and food safety. Salmonella is a bacteria that is a common cause of food poisoning in this country and around the world. Symptoms of a Salmonella infection include diarrhea that may be bloody, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting. Most symptoms begin 12 to 72 hours after infection, and people are usually sick for about a week. But … [Read more...]
Good Earth Eggs Recalled; Linked to Salmonella Outbreak
The FDA has announced that Good Earth Egg Company of Missouri is voluntarily recalling its shell eggs because they may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria and have been linked to an outbreak in that state. These products were distributed throughout the Midwest, including Missouri and Illinois, at the retail and wholesale level, to institutions, and to walk-in customers. The recalled shell eggs are packaged in 6-count cartons, 10-count cartons, 12-count cartons, 18-count cartons, 15 dozen cases, and 30 dozen cases. The dates and codes on the cartons and cases will including everything before and including date code 006 - Sell by 02/05/2016, under the brand name Good Earth Egg Company, license number D-01124. The eggs are sold at Dierbergs, Shop n' Save, Straubs, Midtowne Market, and … [Read more...]
Salmonella Found at Good Earth Egg Company, MO
The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has stated that they found Salmonella bacteria at an egg facility called the Good Earth Egg Company in Bonne Terre. Testing conducted at the processing facility revealed the presence of the pathogenic bacteria. The facility was closed by DHHS while it is cleaned and while sampling is conducted again. The company states, "trace levels of salmonella were detected in an area of its processing facility. There was no recall of Good Earth Egg Company products." If you purchased eggs from this company, you can throw them away in a sealed or double bagged container, or return them to the place of purchase if you'd like. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling these eggs, since there could be Salmonella bacteria on the shell and on … [Read more...]
Less Than Half of Consumers Wash Hands After Handling Eggs
A new study published in the Journal of Food Protection has found that only 48% of consumers wash their hands after handling raw eggs. Eggs can be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, and that food-pathogen combination sickens thousands of Americans every year. Researchers were from RTI International, Tennessee State University, and Kansas State University. The study was partially funded by the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. A 2013 web survey of 1,504 adult grocery shoppers was conducted. Based on self-reported data, most consumers store eggs in the fridge, as recommended, for no more than 3 to 5 weeks, as recommended.But after cracking eggs, 48.1% of respondents washed their hands with soap and water. And more than half of respondents … [Read more...]
Consumers Will Pay More for Eggs Because of Bird Flu
The highly-pathogenic avian influenza has spread across the central United States, killing about 39 million chickens, turkeys, and other birds since December 2014. This will affect egg supplies and prices, and may even affect prices for Thanksgiving turkeys this fall. Goldman Sachs reports that U.S. consumers will probably pay $8 billion more to buy eggs this year. That is an increase of at least 75% from last year. Corporations that buy eggs in bulk will also spend much more money. Large chains are concentrating on securing egg supplies. According to the American Egg Board, U.S. consumers ate almost 260 egg per person last year. The bird flu was introduced into this country by wild migrating birds, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health. If the virus moves east, the … [Read more...]
After Easter, a Word About Egg Safety
After Easter, most people have hard cooked eggs that they have dyed for the holiday. The FDA wants you to know some food safety tips for handling this food. Fresh eggs can contain Salmonella bacteria that are in the actual egg itself, not just on the shell. The FDA estimates that 142,000 illnesses are caused by consumers eating eggs that are contaminated with this pathogenic bacteria every year in the United States. Although there are regulations in place to help prevent contamination of eggs on the farm and during shipping, eggs will contain Salmonella. The bacteria is actually in the hen's ovaries, and it will then be in the egg itself. Consumers are the last measure of defense against food poisoning from eggs. All cartons of shell eggs that have not been treated to destroy … [Read more...]
Avoid Food Poisoning from Eggs During Holidays (and Throughout the Year)
Preparing and sharing holiday treats is one of the best parts of the holiday season. But foods containing eggs can cause illness if not prepared properly. Whether you are making eggnog or cookies, follow these food safety tips to safely prepare food and drinks that contain eggs. First, the facts. Raw eggs are not safe to consume. There is no split opinion on this in the world of food safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that 350,000 Americans are sickened every year with Salmonella poisoning from raw or undercooked eggs. In fact it's so common to get Salmonella from eggs, the combination of food and germ was ranked the No. 1 germ and food pair in 2009 and 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There have been food poisoning … [Read more...]
Salmonella Outbreak in England Sickens 247 People
An outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis PT14b in England has sickened almost 250 people, according to Public Health England. That is an increase from 158 cases reported in early August 2014. The government also stated that overall case reporting slowed over the past week. Public health officials say that "there is now evidence to indicate that cases in Europe with the same strains of Salmonella infection were associated with consumption of eggs from a single source. This egg supply also reached distributors and food outlets in England, but at this stage we cannot conclusively demonstrate that this is the infection source in this country." The case count by region is as follows: Hampshire (99 cases), London (30 cases), Cheshire and Merseyside (39 cases), and West Midlands (54 cases). … [Read more...]
