Are Your Eggs Safe? Follow These Eggspert Tips.

Just in case the eggs are imported into Australia(which is doubtful) it is handy to know what is going on in the USA and the problems that can occur when handling chicken products; particularly eggs. This would also include eggs consumed from other domestic and farmed Poultry, ie geese ducks etc.
Last week, the U S Food and Drug Administration recalled 380 million eggs that were linked to outbreaks of illness nationwide caused by salmonella, a bacteria that leads to food poisoning. This week, the massive recall expanded to more than half a billion eggs. The problem of contaminated eggs continues, and the FDA may widen the recall even further since it has yet to discover how the chickens and eggs were contaminated.
Since the beginning of the outbreak, about 1,300 people have been sickened by salmonella, which can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, chills, fever, and even death.
Salmonella is an important disease and can be life-threatening for many people. If you develop salmonella poisoning and you're healthy and strong, you may not need treatment, the disease usually lasts four to seven days.
But the elderly, very young, and those with compromised immune systems are at risk. These people need to get medical advice and treatment, Fortunately, salmonella poisoning can be treated with readily available antibiotics.

Two egg producers, Hillandale Farms of Iowa and Wright County Egg, are the potential sources. The two producers are jointly owned and share chicken and chicken feed suppliers. There is no evidence that the outbreak extends beyond these two producers.
The eggs in question were sold under the Albertson and Ralphs brands in addition to Hillandale, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Kemps, Dutch Farms, Lucerne, Mountain Dairy, Boomsma's, Trafficanda, and Sunshine. The eggs are packaged in six- to 18-egg cartons. The packages are stamped with packing code numbers 136 to 225 (May 16 to Aug. 13), and come from plant Nos. 1026, 1413, or 1946. Codes and dates are stamped on the ends of the cartons.

In the meantime, how do you protect yourself and your family from being sickened by salmonella-infected eggs?  The following tips will help keep you healthy:.
Cook eggs until both egg white and egg yolk are firm throughout. Cook all egg mixtures to 160 F.

Avoid uncooked eggs in any form including Caesar salad, sunny-side up eggs, French toast, and hollandaise sauce.
When buying eggs, check inside the carton to make sure all eggs are clean and uncracked.
Buy eggs pasteurized in their shells. The pasteurization process destroys salmonella. The packaging should be clearly marked if the eggs are pasteurized in their shells.
Keep eggs refrigerated in the coldest part of the refrigerator, not in the refrigerator door.
Use good hygiene. When you break the egg, throw away the egg shell and don't contaminate the counter top in your kitchen. We should be very cautious in how we handle them, how we clean them, and how we use them. Wash your hands after handling them.
More government regulation isn't the answer to salmonella-infected eggs,  I don't think we need more regulations. We just need to realize that eggs can carry salmonella, and we need to be careful.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Once upon a time there was a shepherd
Looking after his sheep On the side of a deserted road.

Suddenly a brand new Porsche screeches to a halt.

The driver, a man dressed in an Armani suit, Cerutti shoes,

Ray-Ban sunglasses, TAG-Heuer wrist-watch, and a
Pierre Cardin tie, gets out and asks the Shepherd:

"If I can tell you how many sheep you have,

Will you give me one of them?"

The shepherd looks at the young man,

And then looks at the large flock of

Grazing sheep and replies:"Okay. "

The young man parks the car,connects his

Laptop to the mobile-fax,enters a NASA Webster,

Scans the ground using his GPS, opens a Database

And 60 Excel tables filled withlogarithms and pivot tables,

Then prints out a 10 page report on his high-tech mini-printer.
He turns to the shepherd and says,

"You have exactly 1,586 sheep here."

The shepherd cheers,"That' s correct,

You can have your sheep."

The young man makes his pick and

Puts it in the back of his Porsche.

The shepherd looks at him and asks:

"If I guess your profession, will you return my animal to me?"

The young man answers, "Yes, why not".

The shepherd says, "You are a Management Consultant

From a top-notch consultancy like ---------.

"How did you know?" asks the surprised young man.

"Very simple," answers the shepherd.
"First, you came here without being called.

Second, you charged me a fee to tell me something I already knew,

And third, you don't understand anything about my business...

Now can I have my DOG back?"
Jimmy said…
HACCP and eggs
HACCP in egg production

Layer farms

HACCP systems are not in general use on farms or other sites of primary production although there is no reason why they should not be introduced to control the spread of pathogens associated with food poisoning and to control the uptake of unwanted chemical compounds. Therefore in relation to EU directives on “zoonoses control” a HACCP plan should be introduced in all forms of primary production, including layer farms.
To be able to implement an HACCP plan in an Egg Quality Assurance Programme several requirements for producers have to be specified. In this respect by definition a producer includes the supplier of chicks or feed.
With regard to producers the points to be considered include aspects of flock identification, hygiene and disease control, flock welfare, feed and water quality, egg collection systems including storage and delivery, and aspects of environmental protection in relation to hygiene management on the farm.
When these items are all well described a final HACCP plan can be made and implemented.
For a total Egg Quality Assurance Programme additional specifications for eggs should be given as well as details on the production conditions and on cleaning and disinfecting procedures to be applied.

A final HACCP plan on the layer farm can be drafted form the above and at that point one should consider the following critical phases:

1. Chicks history, pre-lay
2. Feed and storage
3. Water and storage
4. Packaging and storage
5. Egg collection and removal from production house
6. Egg handling and delivery to packing centre.

From these critical points, in terms of the HACCP concept, the CCP status, the hazard, the preventive measures, the limits, the available methods for monitoring, the corrective action to be taken and the method how to document the case should be specified. An example of a HACCP plan for layer farms is given.


Packing stations and egg processing plants

The same HACCP plan can be made for the packing station and further for the egg processing plant. Again the same principles should be applied. This means that the following points should be taken into consideration:
(a) decide on the safety and may be shelf life criteria, product and process design, and requirements for the distribution chain
(b) select materials and equipment
(c) set initial specifications, taking account of product requirements and the materials and equipment available
(d) provide working procedures and instructions


Example of a HACCP plan for layer farms (specific CCP's, hazards, preventive measures, limits, monitoring and control measures have to be added)

Step
CCP No.
Hazard
(Source)
Preventive
Measure
Limits
Monitoring
Corrective
Action
Doc.
Ref
Chicks history, Pre-lay
CCP 1
Disease carriers
Poultry from certified sources






Feed and storage
CCP 2
Product contamination due to pathogens and medication misuse
Feed from certified sources
Feed produced under certified conditions




Water and storage







Packaging and storage







Egg collection and removal from production house







Egg handling and delivery to packing centre
Jimmy said…
HACCP and eggs
HACCP in egg production

Layer farms

HACCP systems are not in general use on farms or other sites of primary production although there is no reason why they should not be introduced to control the spread of pathogens associated with food poisoning and to control the uptake of unwanted chemical compounds. Therefore in relation to EU directives on “zoonoses control” a HACCP plan should be introduced in all forms of primary production, including layer farms.
Jimmy said…
To be able to implement an HACCP plan in an Egg Quality Assurance Programme several requirements for producers have to be specified. In this respect by definition a producer includes the supplier of chicks or feed.


With regard to producers the points to be considered include aspects of flock identification, hygiene and disease control, flock welfare, feed and water quality, egg collection systems including storage and delivery, and aspects of environmental protection in relation to hygiene management on the farm.
When these items are all well described a final HACCP plan can be made and implemented.
Jimmy said…
For a total Egg Quality Assurance Programme additional specifications for eggs should be given as well as details on the production conditions and on cleaning and disinfecting procedures to be applied.

A final HACCP plan on the layer farm can be drafted form the above and at that point one should consider the following critical phases:

1. Chicks history, pre-lay
2. Feed and storage
3. Water and storage
4. Packaging and storage
5. Egg collection and removal from production house
6. Egg handling and delivery to packing centre.

From these critical points, in terms of the HACCP concept, the CCP status, the hazard, the preventive measures, the limits, the available methods for monitoring, the corrective action to be taken and the method how to document the case should be specified. An example of a HACCP plan for layer farms is given.


Packing stations and egg processing plants

The same HACCP plan can be made for the packing station and further for the egg processing plant. Again the same principles should be applied. This means that the following points should be taken into consideration:
(a) decide on the safety and may be shelf life criteria, product and process design, and requirements for the distribution chain
(b) select materials and equipment
(c) set initial specifications, taking account of product requirements and the materials and equipment available
(d) provide working procedures and instructions
Vest said…
Anon: A well worn funny, I suppose there are people who have not heard it.

Jimmy: I am an Egghead, well informed at an early age on breeding and marketing Chooks for a good earner. Something to follow.

Vest.
Vest said…
Excerpt from memoirs.

I had my own little business, I bought ‘Baby Chicks as Hatched.’
mostly roosters; at Thame, a small market town we would visit in
‘Toppers Coach’ a flatulent old bus that smoked and rattled, to and from the market.
Feeding chooks (chickens) required imagination. I would sweep up
the grain; which had been spilt outside of the mill and occasionally, when unobserved, I would cheat and poke the broom inside the door. This feed
was eventually transported home in a sack, carried by a small wooden
cart with old wobbly perambulator wheels that came off every fifty yards or so. When I arrived home after a two-mile return journey, I would be flushed with pride. The grain assisted my free-range feeding system. By using wired-in, movable pens eight feet by eight feet made with five bar
hurdles, It allowed the chooks to access the grass and its inhabitants.
Much wealth was acquired when these fattened chooks were sold around Christmas time. They were sold on the hoof (live) or Auntie would wring their necks to oblige the customers. That was something I wouldn’t do. Even killing a fish made me feel guilty. This venture gave me reason to acquire my first post office savings book. As an eight-year-old, this would have been my first step to self-motivation; but unfortunately,
these times of expectation were soon to be shattered.
Vest.
C A. said…
It proves the point that one does not have to be an adult or worldly wise to be resourceful.

Regardless of the odds, persistence pays off. well it seems to be in your case Vest.
Anon UK. said…
Vest does have throwback inherited inbred genes from a people well known for their business acumen.
whom he takes delight in taking the micky out of their belief and creed.
Vest said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vest said…
Whoa!!. Could that be sticky beak Nosey .....r or her feller with the big smeller? L T N S. what went wrong?
Jimmy said…
EGGSS come from the ass of the LAYERS

the diet of the LAYERS is important if u dont want to get MAD COW disease and stuff like that

watch out for salmonella
what u feed the layers is IMPORTANT

read about FAMI QS

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