Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Eggs and questions

Editor’s note: We have received many questions about this egg recall. Eggs are an important part of our culture. We eat, bake and use them as an inexpensive source of protein.

Today at breakfast my mother ordered eggs over easy. They were runny and, since she has a poor immune system, I hope she doesn’t get ill.

The government information below is helpful and practical.

Information for Consumers

 

Don’t eat recalled eggs or products containing recalled eggs. Recalled eggs might still be in grocery stores, restaurants, and consumers’ homes. Consumers who have recalled eggs should discard them or return them to their retailer for a refund. Individuals who think they might have become ill from eating recalled eggs should consult their health care providers.

Keep shell eggs refrigerated at 45˚ F (≤7˚ C) at all times.

Discard cracked or dirty eggs.

Wash hands, cooking utensils, and food preparation surfaces with soap and water after contact with raw eggs.

Eggs should be cooked until both the white and the yolk are firm and eaten promptly after cooking.

Do not keep eggs warm or at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Refrigerate unused or leftover egg- containing foods promptly.

Avoid eating raw eggs.

 

Avoid restaurant dishes made with raw or undercooked, unpasteurized eggs. Restaurants should use pasteurized eggs in any recipe (such as Hollandaise sauce or Caesar salad dressing) that calls for raw eggs.

Consumption of raw or undercooked eggs should be avoided, especially by young children, elderly persons, and person with weakened immune systems or debilitating illness.

Since May 2010, CDC received reports of approximately 200 Salmonella Enteritidis  cases every week during late June and early July. Normally, CDC has received an average of some 50 reports of Salmonella Enteritidis  illness each week for the past five years. Many states have also reported increases of this pattern since May 2010. 

Epidemiologic investigations conducted by public health officials in California, Colorado, and Minnesota have revealed several restaurants or events where more than one person ill with this type of Salmonella Enteritidis  has eaten. Preliminary information from these investigations suggests that shell eggs are the likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or events.

FDA, CDC, and state partners conducted a traceback investigation and found many of these restaurants or events received shell eggs from a single firm, Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa. FDA is currently conducting an extensive investigation at the firm in Iowa. The investigation involves sampling, records review and looking for potential sources of contamination, such as feed.

On August 13, 2010, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, conducted a nationwide recall of shell eggs that it had shipped since May 19, 2010 to food wholesalers, distribution centers and foodservice companies in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. These companies distribute nationwide.

The recalled shell eggs are packaged under the following brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps.

State and local partners are also investigating human Salmonella infections in Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

Editor’s Note: Salmonella also found in alfalfa sprouts.

Who: Snow White Food Products

What: Snow White Alfalfa Sprouts 3.5 oz plastic clamshell container

UPC: 0-46421-11236-6.

Where: Distributed in New York State. 

Why: Salmonella

More:

Consumers who have purchased 3.5 ounce containers of Snow White Food Products “Alfalfa Sprouts” are urged to return them to the place of purchase or discard the product.  Consumers with questions may contact the company  718-230-5625.

Technorati Tags: ,

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets

What is Salmonella?

From Oklahoma State University

 Question:

What is Salmonella?

Answer:

The term Salmonella, as it related to food, is used to describe a group of bacteria, which in some cases can cause illness. A person who eats food containing large numbers of these bacteria may become ill and if so the illness will be called salmonellosis.

Question:

Do chickens have Salmonella?

Answer:

Sometimes chickens, just like other animals, can have Salmo­nella bacteria. These bacteria are usually present in the intes­tinal tract and occasionally, during the processing procedure; carcasses can be contaminated with the bacteria.

Question:

Where do Salmonella bacteria come from?

Answer:

Salmonella are spread from fecal material of all kinds of ani­mals. Animals pick up the bacteria from the soil or perhaps from contaminated processed feed. The organisms then live in the intestinal tract of the host and may or may not have an effect on the animal. As food animals are slaughtered and processed, there are times when some of the bacteria from the intestines have the opportunity to contaminate the end products.

 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Fact Sheets

are also available on our website at:

http://osufacts.okstate.edu

What brand will be next?

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »