Recently I've been using a lot of eggs. Egg safety seems to come up frequently. DW was particularly worried about the mayonnaise I made last night. I know most people here are less worried about this sort of thing than the general population but I wonder if there's reason to worry at all. Is food-borne illness often caused by eggs? Why the fuss?
egg safety
- Thread starter k15n1
- Start date
AFAIK, the egg paranoia is due mostly to bacteria contracted to the outsides of eggs. In factory laying systems, the feces and whatnot builds up, and the eggs are laid in area that become contaminated. The bacteria then attaches to eggshells, and BOOM! salmonella.
When using at home, it's the fact that the inside of the egg comes into contact with the outside that makes it problematic. presumably, you'd wash your hands right after cracking eggs, thus eliminating the bacteria from yourself. But the egg that touched the shell remains.
Correct me if I'm wrong, bu that is my understanding.
Of course, eggs are washed before being distributed. These types of things are very verty rare. Having eggs at home, with clean nest boxes and coops, should give no cause for concern. But, as always, wash your eggs.
When using at home, it's the fact that the inside of the egg comes into contact with the outside that makes it problematic. presumably, you'd wash your hands right after cracking eggs, thus eliminating the bacteria from yourself. But the egg that touched the shell remains.
Correct me if I'm wrong, bu that is my understanding.
Of course, eggs are washed before being distributed. These types of things are very verty rare. Having eggs at home, with clean nest boxes and coops, should give no cause for concern. But, as always, wash your eggs.
Much of the fuss is because of Factory eggs The chickens are locked in cages stacked in banks while their eggs are transported to a common area. The old way people used to gether the eggs and if the chicken appeared sick the egg woulld be discarded The other reason is that as people lost contact with chickens the immume system quit responding to the few diseases that chickens do live with. Throw in the Organic movement that is against the use of antibiotics and you have the makings of "the perfect storm" A disease can infect thousands of birds overnight at the egg factory [No antibiotics] and shipped to customers with no immunity. Add the fact that eggs make one of the best places for bacteria and virus to grow and you find that they are a source of infection. Most foods are not pathogen free. In MY opinion far more disease is caused by mishandlung eggs than by the eggs themselves. Yes I would eat your mayonnaise while fresh but not after you have tasted it and carried in your car at 100F for 30 minutes.~gdk15n1 said:
If eating out avoid things like omlets acrambled eggs and egg McMufflings the eggs come in contairere not shells if fact they may contain eggs that were cracked before they were opened and dumped, one bad egg can ruin a whole container.bubba1358 said:AFAIK, the egg paranoia is due mostly to bacteria contracted to the outsides of eggs. In factory laying systems, the feces and whatnot builds up, and the eggs are laid in area that become contaminated. The bacteria then attaches to eggshells, and BOOM! salmonella.
When using at home, it's the fact that the inside of the egg comes into contact with the outside that makes it problematic. presumably, you'd wash your hands right after cracking eggs, thus eliminating the bacteria from yourself. But the egg that touched the shell remains.
Correct me if I'm wrong, bu that is my understanding.
Of course, eggs are washed before being distributed. These types of things are very verty rare. Having eggs at home, with clean nest boxes and coops, should give no cause for concern. But, as always, wash your eggs.
- Thread starter
- #5
The whole bacteria-is-on-the-shell argument is just confusing to me. On the cooking shows they're always saying that we should crack the egg on a flat surface to avoid contaminating the egg with whatever is on the shell. It's a cliche, at this point. I don't get it. I've used sterile technique and cracking an egg is about the opposite. If you handle the egg, crack it, and open the shell with your thumbs, the egg is contaminated. If you have egg on your hands after cracking eggs, the eggs-in-a-bowl are contaminated.
I was looking for credible evidence of danger from eating eggs and didn't find much. I did find a thread [1] in which someone claimed 1:10,000 odds for getting salmonella from a raw egg.
1. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/613220
I was looking for credible evidence of danger from eating eggs and didn't find much. I did find a thread [1] in which someone claimed 1:10,000 odds for getting salmonella from a raw egg.
1. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/613220
I know, it's exceedingly rare and overblown. BUT, it is the shell surface, and not the interior of the egg itself, that contains the bacteria. The egg itself canget rotten, but not in the food-poisoning kind of way.k15n1 said:
Hinotori
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Salmonella is the issue. It can be both outside and inside the egg. It being inside is why people get sick from handling chicks and not washing as well. Privett Hatchery just had a salmonella outbreak in chicks.
It is pretty rare to get it from eggs anymore.
Eggs are porous, but there is the bloom coating on the outside. Commercial eggs are washed to remove anything on the outside of the shell which also removes the bloom and allows bacteria to enter easier. They do apply oil to the eggs to try and put back a protective coating. I know my state doesn't even recommend that small on the farm sellers of eggs wash them as they don't think many people will do it right and the bloom is very protective. I have some very fine sandpaper I use on the couple spots as sanding is one of the listed methods. They also prefer that all eggs be washed minimally.
So you can wash the eggs right before use (in 40 degree warmer water) if you want to reduce the risk of contaminating the inside.
If you have a home flock, collect your eggs often. Keep the nest boxes clean. If you're making a raw egg product, use the freshest eggs. I always use eggs laid that day. I'm not worried about getting sick from my birds. My Mom can't eat store bought eggs as they make her sick. We think it's the chemical egg wash that is used. It's possible that a minute amount gets in through the shell. Mom has some severe allergies. She hadn't eating eggs in over a decade because she thought that she was just allergic to eggs. When I first got chickens and brought her some fresh eggs, she didn't want to eat them, but tried a bite and didn't get sick so she tried more later. If she gets a bite of store eggs, they still make her sick.
Eggs are pretty safe. You're much more likely to get sick from shellfish, meat, and produce. The big outbreaks in the last several years have been from produce.
http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/attribution.html
http://www.cdc.gov/features/salmonellaeggs/
http://www.incredibleegg.org/egg-facts/egg-safety/eggs-and-food-safety
It's a 1 in 20,000 chance of an egg being contaminated from what I found.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/F...n/EggSafety/EggSafetyActionPlan/UCM195539.pdf
ETA: Just a general news item on food illness http://calorielab.com/news/2008/06/23/foodborne-illnesses/
My thoughts are that I eat real fresh eggs and I don't worry about it. Eggs in the store can be quite old before they get to the store. Oldest I've seen is almost a month from the pack date (not when the eggs were collected). http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/EggsSell.htm
It is pretty rare to get it from eggs anymore.
Eggs are porous, but there is the bloom coating on the outside. Commercial eggs are washed to remove anything on the outside of the shell which also removes the bloom and allows bacteria to enter easier. They do apply oil to the eggs to try and put back a protective coating. I know my state doesn't even recommend that small on the farm sellers of eggs wash them as they don't think many people will do it right and the bloom is very protective. I have some very fine sandpaper I use on the couple spots as sanding is one of the listed methods. They also prefer that all eggs be washed minimally.
So you can wash the eggs right before use (in 40 degree warmer water) if you want to reduce the risk of contaminating the inside.
If you have a home flock, collect your eggs often. Keep the nest boxes clean. If you're making a raw egg product, use the freshest eggs. I always use eggs laid that day. I'm not worried about getting sick from my birds. My Mom can't eat store bought eggs as they make her sick. We think it's the chemical egg wash that is used. It's possible that a minute amount gets in through the shell. Mom has some severe allergies. She hadn't eating eggs in over a decade because she thought that she was just allergic to eggs. When I first got chickens and brought her some fresh eggs, she didn't want to eat them, but tried a bite and didn't get sick so she tried more later. If she gets a bite of store eggs, they still make her sick.
Eggs are pretty safe. You're much more likely to get sick from shellfish, meat, and produce. The big outbreaks in the last several years have been from produce.
http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/attribution.html
http://www.cdc.gov/features/salmonellaeggs/
http://www.incredibleegg.org/egg-facts/egg-safety/eggs-and-food-safety
It's a 1 in 20,000 chance of an egg being contaminated from what I found.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/F...n/EggSafety/EggSafetyActionPlan/UCM195539.pdf
ETA: Just a general news item on food illness http://calorielab.com/news/2008/06/23/foodborne-illnesses/
My thoughts are that I eat real fresh eggs and I don't worry about it. Eggs in the store can be quite old before they get to the store. Oldest I've seen is almost a month from the pack date (not when the eggs were collected). http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/EggsSell.htm
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
Nope.
Commercially produced eggs are disinfected in an egg wash and the surface of the egg has not been identified as the carrier of the salmonella as the cause for the egg recalls. The salmonella contamination is from systemic infections in the layer birds, involving many organs, including the uterus/ovary/oviduct.
In other words, the salmonella is inside the eggs, not outside.
Backyard flocks are not known for salmonella outbreaks because their birds are not raised in confined conditions and fed medicated feeds, which promotes poor immune systems in the birds and the resulting lack of the ability to fight off pathogens. They have simple strains of common bacteria found in all mammal's bowels and they don't often find their way into the bloodstream, nor are they found in so strong of colonies in the intestines as to cause illness. Good hand washing and regular food safety practices are just fine for eggs from a backyard flock.
The increased use of medicines in commercial ag operations create pathogens that are pretty much super bugs, like the new strains of e.coli, staph and now the salmonella that are being produced by the CAFOs in this country and others that are killing people when these foods are eaten. The method of feeding also creates ulcerations in the bowels of the animals and decreases the healthy colonization of the intestinal walls, leaving the way open for proliferation of these super bugs and also gives them entrance into the blood streams of these animals. There to make their way into the eggs and meat via the bloodstream.
Unless you are keeping your flock much like CAFOs, you shouldn't have to worry about salmonella in your eggs at all...or even ON your eggs.
so lucky
Almost Self-Reliant
Bee, I am glad you spoke up on this. I didn't agree with the consensus here, but knew you would be able to pinpoint the issue.
By the way, the Weston A Price newsletter says the feds are pushing for pastured laying chicken farms to be covered, so "to reduce the incidence of salmonella in pastured eggs" (Not a direct quote) In other words, any farms that pasture over 3,000 layers would have to put a net or a roof over the pasture, effectively killing the pasture. Wonderful. Glad I have my own chickens.
By the way, the Weston A Price newsletter says the feds are pushing for pastured laying chicken farms to be covered, so "to reduce the incidence of salmonella in pastured eggs" (Not a direct quote) In other words, any farms that pasture over 3,000 layers would have to put a net or a roof over the pasture, effectively killing the pasture. Wonderful. Glad I have my own chickens.
- Thread starter
- #10
Found an interesting (but biased) article about salmonella within eggs. Apparently there's a 1-in-20,000 chance that a chicken will carry the bacteria in its reproductive system. The eggs end up getting infected with just a few bacteria before the shell forms.
http://news.discovery.com/human/health/egg-salmonella-bacteria.htm
I wonder if the confined-feeding is the issue or if it's just a low-probability event that you probably won't see if you keep 6 hens.
Anyhow, it's nice to have open-minded discussion on the topic rather than fear and criticism that I've experienced in the past.
http://news.discovery.com/human/health/egg-salmonella-bacteria.htm
I wonder if the confined-feeding is the issue or if it's just a low-probability event that you probably won't see if you keep 6 hens.
Anyhow, it's nice to have open-minded discussion on the topic rather than fear and criticism that I've experienced in the past.
