Eggs Safer from Salmonella?
Background: Some of us may
remember the "good old days" when it was safe to use raw eggs in mayonnaise,
eggnog, meringues and other dishes. Then, as chicken raising and egg production
in the U.S. began to be done on an ever larger scale, contamination with
salmonella bacteria became a major concern. We were
warned that eating a Salmonella-contaminated egg that had not been adequately
cooked could cause, at the least, a severe gastrointestinal illness and perhaps
even death. This was not a trivial
warning. It is estimated that there are 118,000 illnesses per year caused by the
consumption of salmonella-contaminated
eggs. It is a major health problem in the US.
Action: Most salmonella contamination of eggs occurs because the
laying hen's reproductive tract has become contaminated with salmonella. The FDA
has therefore proposed regulations to improve the sanitation on poultry farms as
well as the storage of eggs in the hope of making the US egg supply safer. These
regulations will be restricted to the approximately 4,000 egg producers with
flocks of 3,000 or more laying hens.
Comment: The proposed FDA regulations seem quite reasonable but one
can only wonder why it has taken so long to just draft these regulations for
consideration. It is our impression that the European Union (EU) has taken much
stronger measures to protect their poultry and egg industry which was already
safer in the first place. In European stores, eggs are rarely kept under
refrigeration. And all the eggs sent to EU markets must be stamped with the date
that each egg was laid. This allows the consumer to immediately determine the
freshness of the egg. In the US, the egg cartons are marked instead only with an
"outdate" making it impossible to know the freshness of the egg and what might
have happened to it in transit.
Barbara K. Hecht,
Ph.D.
Frederick Hecht, M.D.
Medical Editors, MedicineNet.com
Related Links
FDA Proposes Further Action to
Improve Farm-to-Table Shell Egg
Safety
The Food and Drug Administration proposed a regulation today to further
improve the safety of shell eggs on the farm. When implemented, the production
changes defined by the regulation will significantly reduce the number of
illness caused by eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis (SE).
An estimated 118,000 illnesses per year are caused by
consumption of SE-contaminated eggs. If an individual eats an SE-contaminated
egg that is not fully cooked the individual may suffer mild to severe
gastrointestinal illness, short term or chronic arthritis, or death.
"The implementation of the provisions of this rule would reduce the number of
SE-related illnesses by 33,500 and is a major step in realizing our public
health goal of a 50% reduction in all salmonellosis and a 50% reduction in SE
outbreaks by 2010," said Acting Commissioner Dr. Lester M. Crawford. "Today's
action builds upon the safe consumer handling labeling and egg refrigeration and
retail rule of 2000."
The proposed regulation would require implementation of
SE prevention measures for all egg producers with 3,000 or more laying hens that
produce shell eggs for retail sale and do not process their eggs with a treatment, such as
pasteurization, to ensure their safety. The proposed rule's SE prevention
measures include:
Provisions for procurement of chicks and pullets A
biosecurity program A pest and rodent control program Cleaning and disinfection
of poultry houses that have had an environmental sample or egg test positive for
SE Refrigerated storage of eggs at the farm Producer testing of the environment
for SE in poultry houses-if the environmental test is positive, FDA proposes
that egg testing for SE be undertaken, and that, if the test is positive, the
eggs be diverted from the table egg market Identification of a person
responsible for SE prevention at each farm Through these proposed measures, FDA
believes SE prevalence will be reduced in the poultry house environment and
consequently in the eggs themselves. Most SE contamination of eggs is a result
of SE infection in the
laying hen's reproductive tract, known as transovarian contamination). The
proposed prevention measures are designed to reduce the likelihood of
transovarian contamination.
To fully implement this proposed rule will cost an
estimated $82 million annually for the more than 4,100 farms that have 3,000 or
more hens. The actual cost will vary with the number of poultry houses and
layers under production and will range from a low of 19 cents per layer to $1.00 per layer per year.
While today's proposal focuses primarily on the farm, FDA is aware of
illnesses and outbreaks associated with serving undercooked eggs at retail
establishments. Therefore, FDA is soliciting comment on whether to propose
potential retail establishment requirements to address their concern.
The proposed rule is part of a joint and coordinated
strategy by FDA and the Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA) to more effectively deal with egg safety
for both shell eggs and egg products. FDA and FSIS will continue to work closely
together to ensure that our egg safety measures are consistent, coordinated and
complementary.
Source: FDA news release, P04-90, September 20, 2004
Last Editorial Review: 9/21/2004
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