Last week, an editor for Slate magazine, L.V. Anderson, wrote an article entitled: "Salmonella and raw eggs: How I've eaten tons of cookie dough and never gotten sick". In it, she says that she has eaten about 360 raw eggs in her lifetime and has never contracted a Salmonella infection. From that, she infers that raw cookie dough is not really dangerous. This story is full of logical fallacies. First, she is committing the logical fallacy of a small sample size: herself. Extrapolating from her personal experiences to the entire nation is extremely foolish. The plural of anecdote is not data. In addition, she may have gotten sick from eating a Salmonella-contaminated egg, but didn't even know it. The incubation period for these infections is up to three days, so she most likely did … [Read more...]
Starbuck’s Yogurt Parfait Cups Recalled For Undeclared Eggs
Starbucks Greek Yogurt Raspberry & Lemon Parfait cups sold at Starbucks stores in the Portland and Seattle areas are being recalled because the yogurt may contain an undeclared allergen, eggs. Consumers who are allergic to eggs should not eat these parfait cups as they run the rick of serious or life-threatening allergy if they do. No other Starbucks stores are affected by the recall. The yogurt was made by Gretchen’s Shoebox Express in Seattle which issued the recall after discovering the problem. The company has not received any reports of illness. The recalled product was being sold in 6.1 oz plastic cups, with a white code date sticker on the back of the cup that reads “Enjoy by 03 05.” No other date codes of this parfait flavor were affected and no other yogurt parfait … [Read more...]
Galant Recalls Chicken Provence For Undeclared Allergen
Galant Food Company of San Leandro, Calif. is recalling approximately 420 pounds of Chicken Provance French puff pastry because it contains an undeclared allergen, eggs. Consumers with an allergy to eggs should not eat this product which is brushed with a glaze that contains egg, an ingredient that is not declared on the label. There have been no reports of adverse reactions associated with this product. The product under recall, “Chicken Provance French Puff, ” was sold in 4-oz. packages with the establishment number “EST. 9014” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the label and a case code of: 7193, 9053 or 9093. The recalled products were produced July 19, September 5 and September 9, 2013 and shipped to restaurants and cafes in the San Francisco Bay area. The problem was … [Read more...]
FDA to Study Safety of Shell Eggs
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to establish a Cooperative Agreement with the North Carolina State University Department of Poultry Science and the Piedmont Research Station Poultry Unit to study the safety of shell eggs in the U.S. market. The 2009 Egg Safety Rule was designed to prevent foodborne illness caused by eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis. The Agreement will research routes of transmission for Salmonella in the egg production industry. The agreement will go into effect in September 2013. Scientists are hoping to investigate how changes in physical feed characteristics and housing could influence Salmonella transmission. Findings will help researchers and the egg industry understand routes of Salmonella transmission and food safety controls … [Read more...]
Animal Rights Groups Oppose Feinstein’s Egg Bill
Animal rights groups, including the Humane Farming Association, Friends of Animals, and SAFE, are opposing the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2013 sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein. Referred to as the "Rotten Egg Bill" by opponents, the measure would make a deal between the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States the law of the land. Bradley Miller, National Director of the Humane Farming Association (HFA) said, "the egg industry wants to establish egg factory cages as a national standard that could never be challenged or changed by state law or public vote. The American public overwhelmingly supports the banning of egg factory cages, not measures such as this which would ban the outlawing of cages. This bill would be disastrous for laying hens … [Read more...]
Egg Products Inspection Act Introduced to Congress
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2013, a bill that would establish a national standard for humane treatment of egg-laying hens and the labeling of eggs. Cosponsors include Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), and in the House, Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR). Senator Feinstein said, "this bill is the product of an agreement between the Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers, which represent 88 percent of the nation's egg industry. It addresses a patchwork of divergent state laws by establishing a national standard for the humane treatment of egg-laying hens." In 2010, the Humane Society took undercover videos of the Cal-Maine egg factory in Waelder, Texas and found rampant … [Read more...]
Food Safety And Easter Eggs
Getting ready for Easter brunch or an Easter egg hunt? Here are some food safety tips from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about eggs. Raw in-shell eggs can be kept in the refrigerator for three to five weeks. Never eat eggs that have an off smell when you crack them or eggs with whites that are pink or iridescent. Both are indications of spoilage. Raw eggs combined with other ingredients according to recipe directions, should be cooked immediately or refrigerated and cooked within 24 hours. Eggs should be cooked until their yolks are firm. Egg casseroles should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 160 °F as indicated by a food thermometer to be sure. Hard-boiled eggs can be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week. If you are dyeing, coloring or decorating … [Read more...]
FDA Sends Warning Letter to Trillium Farms Egg Production Facility
The FDA has sent a warning letter to Trillium Farms LLC egg production facility in Ohio for "serious violations of the Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation Regulation." This failure causes the shell eggs to be considered adulterated. The facility induced molt in a flock, but then did not perform environmental testing for SE in the poultry house as required by law. The facility also did not monitor for rodents by appropriate methods, and did not have a definitive Biosecurity Plan for taking action. They also did not maintain records documenting compliance with refrigeration requirements. Eggs must be held at or below 45 degrees F within 36 hours of lay. The letter was dated November 29, 2012. The facility had fifteen … [Read more...]
Two Egg Production Facilities Warned by FDA
Two egg production facilities have received warning letters from the FDA about violations of the shell egg regulation called the Egg Safety Rule. That regulation is Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 118 (21 CFR 118). The two facilities are SKS Enterprises, Inc. located in California, and Midwest Poultry Services, located in Indiana. Both of these facilities are members of the American Egg Board. SKS Enterprises was warned about five of their farms, all located in California. The letter states that the eggs were "prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health." The violations include failure to conduct environmental testing for Salmonella Enteritidis (SE), … [Read more...]
Australians Have Something to Teach Us: Avoid Raw Eggs
The Australian Food Safety Information council has released a document warning people about the use of raw eggs. It's summer down under, and food poisoning cases related to eggs can increase in the warmer months. But this information is applicable to everyone, even if it's -40 degrees F outside. I did a search on the Australian Department of Health and Ageing page, and found twenty reports of Salmonella outbreaks linked to raw and undercooked eggs. In fact, Food Safety Information Chairman Dr. Michael Eyles says that "dishes containing uncooked or minimally cooked eggs can be a particular risk for food poisoning. OzFoodNet has shown that consumption of foods containing raw or minimally cooked eggs is currently the single largest cause of foodborne Salmonella outbreaks [in … [Read more...]
