Will you still eat eggs after salmonella outbreak?
An Iowa company has recalled 380 million eggs after hundreds of people got sick from a salmonella outbreak.
Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com
The recall initially affected four states, but it has been expanded to 17, including Georgia.
The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems.
Although thoroughly cooking eggs can kill the bacteria, health officials are recommending people throw away or return recalled eggs.
After the scare, will you still eat eggs? Will you use them in recipes? Do you feel safer eating eggs ordered at a restaurant?
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133 comments Add your comment
Y. Wills
August 19th, 2010
9:04 am
Someone needs to write an informative article and explain how difficult it is to mismanage eggs to the extent that you have a salmonella incident.
LimRickNews
August 19th, 2010
9:11 am
380 million Eggs are recalled for fear,
Somella may eggsist; its unclear.
With infections eggceeding,
Eggspectations, they’re ceding,
An eggsistential threat may be near.
For more, google “LimRickNews”.
Jodi
August 19th, 2010
9:16 am
Go organic
chicken
August 19th, 2010
9:29 am
Going “organic” means nothing in this sense and is foolishly used. The term “organic” would be growing a product without antibiotics, which would inherently increase the risk of bacterial outbreaks with food. Please be educated before using the term “organic”.
On a separate note, it is not necessarily the “mismanaging of eggs” that is responsible here. That would imply mixing up known contaminated eggs into the otherwise safe food supply. As an example, it would be like dropping a tooth brush in the toilet at a retail store and putting it back in with all the others and acting like nothing happened.
That is simply not the case with eggs. Eggs are thorughly washed and cleaned before they ever arrive to stores for sale. This form of bacteria is passed from hen to egg in a process known as vertical transmission. There is considerable effort to reduce this threat and has been ongoing for decades. Eggs are completely safe and are like just any other meat product that you need to COOK before eating.
apple
August 19th, 2010
9:34 am
Studies have shown that organic chickens and all animals for that matter are healthier and don’t get sick because they ARE ORGANIC.
shaggy
August 19th, 2010
9:38 am
Of coures I will, because I am not scared of everything and do not run around shrieking like a little girl.
If you want to be scared of something, be scared to driving on GA 400. Now, that’s REAL danger.
shaggy
August 19th, 2010
9:41 am
apple,
You are an idiot that needs to learn about bacterial infections. Then, you might actually learn the bacteria can and do infect your precious organic, well….everything.
gmad
August 19th, 2010
9:46 am
@apple Could you provide links to these studies? I do know that there are no studies that conclusively show any health benefit to eating organic foods. You are suggesting there are studies that show there are benefits to the food I would be eating (not necessarily me). I am interested to see them. Thank you.
David S
August 19th, 2010
9:54 am
Can you really think about where eggs come from…I mean really think about that… and honestly still eat them??
To truly consider what laying hens are put through from a strictly humanitarian perspective would finish any true discussion. Add to that the pollution of the local water and land from the amount of waste this enormous egg “factory” must put out and there truly is no other answer than to stop eating eggs.
Next, consider milk…no, seriously think about where it comes from. Vegan is the only way to live.
shaggy
August 19th, 2010
9:58 am
David S
Plants grow from YE GADS, the DIRT! However, they are easier to sneak up on.
I am a proud omnivore, that likes my protein. Just how do you think we humans got these large brains in the first place? It sure wasn’t berries and nuts.
Southern Patriot
August 19th, 2010
10:02 am
I ate eggs for breakfast. I will eat eggs that I cook but I will not eat eggs that are cooked in a restaurant because I cannot ascertain how they handled the eggs, how old the eggs are (older eggs may well have salmonella creeping into the yolks), or how the eggs are cooked. I will continue cooking my eggs sunny side up, soft boil, scrambled, and make omelets and egg dishes. Proper handling of fresh eggs and proper cooking of eggs should have been the norm for the past 20 years or so since most chicken and most eggs now have some salmonella and that has been reported for about the past 20 years. I would avoid consuming raw eggs, any eggs in which the whites are not cooked, I would wash the porous eggs shells (though they are already thoroughly washed by the producers). The USDA is grossly understaffed. Perhaps if they were staffed better this type of problem could be caught before 300 million plus eggs are recalled. The National Egg Council may have its work cut out for it and need many more ads on the “incredible edible egg” after this scare.
John T
August 19th, 2010
10:35 am
650 million eggs were recalled; 200 reported cases of illness over 2 months.
If I was afraid to eat eggs, I damn sure wouldn’t cross the street.
(to explain for those that don’t get it — I’m drawing a parallel between the dangers of eating eggs and getting hit by a car while crossing the street)
Clamshell
August 19th, 2010
10:49 am
If you’re freaking afraid of salmonella from eggs, just wash them before you crack the shell. The salmonella is on the shells, not inside the eggs (unless they’re old and the bacteria has migrated thru the shell, in which case they’re probably too old to eat anyway)
This waste of perfectly good eggs is appalling. Nearly as appalling as what I witnessed a few months ago in Wal-Mart — a worker was pitching cartons of eggs into a bin. When questioned, he said that he was checking and if any eggs were broken, the whole carton had to be thrown away. Now, come on, be honest. How many of you just switched out one cracked egg from a carton and went on your merry way??
Kar
August 19th, 2010
11:00 am
Hey apple, how about a salad of foxglove and tomato leaves with some grilled miso fugu liver. They’re organic.
killerj
August 19th, 2010
11:10 am
Shoot yea,if thats a chance to take eggs are essential to good nutrition.The real story is can private farmers do it better than major corporations? Yes.
whiz1
August 19th, 2010
12:02 pm
To the person who said “go organic”…how about one day you crack open an ORGANIC egg to find a half-created chick embryo in it? That’s what happened to me….disgusting. What I am saying is, organic eggs are not totally safe either.
shangi
August 19th, 2010
12:11 pm
organic, non-organic same thing. nutritionally they’re identical and as far as safety goes non-organic is statistically safer. Basically, you’re getting ripped off and misled by marketers who make money off gullible tree huggers that think these labels actually make a difference. All eggs are pretty much the same nutritionally. An egg is an egg is an egg so don’t fool yourself into thinking your eggs are better just because they’re labeled differently.
Sarah
August 19th, 2010
12:22 pm
I have my own hens. Any bad eggs are my own doing.
That said, I work at landfills & compost facilities and don’t look forward to going to work the week after the disposal of all of those eggs. I remember a few years ago when a school district emptied its freezers after a beef recall. (Shudder) Somehow I think this will be worse.
steve
August 19th, 2010
12:36 pm
People panic too easily. Must be a slow news week.
NANA
August 19th, 2010
12:42 pm
I completely agree with Clamshell….the first thing I thought of was the waste of perfectly good eggs. This alarmist society we now live in is crazy. I will continue to eat eggs because, yes, amazingly…I COOK THEM THOROUGHLY. OMG–what a concept. If you are afraid, wash the egg…and handle with care like you would any other food. The waste makes me sick…not the egg. What came first…the egg or using your brain while handling any food?
deb
August 19th, 2010
12:42 pm
I won’t buy eggs unless I can buy them “Certified Humane” and they are very hard to find. Organic means nothing except they don’t use chemicals. Organic eggs can still come from tortured hens.
NANA
August 19th, 2010
12:43 pm
maybe I should have asked…What came first? The egg or the chicken brain?
Janet
August 19th, 2010
12:44 pm
I also have my own hens. I definitely will be eating eggs. So will the people who buy eggs from me. Like the lady said, any bad eggs are my own doing.
On the ‘organic’ subject, the term ‘organic’ doesn’t mean a thing. You can walk into Walmart and buy organic. The rules are meant to benefit big business and restrict the small producer who can’t afford all the stuff that has to be done to be called organic. The small producer, though, is the one with the conscience. “Organic’ allows chemicals I would not use. Buy locally grown!
elliott
August 19th, 2010
12:56 pm
will you still get in a car after you hear about an accident? give me a break
dorae
August 19th, 2010
12:58 pm
I buy from a local lady. I will definitly eat eggs.
blkshepherd
August 19th, 2010
12:59 pm
Good Grief this is So not good. Eggs are included in a lot of things. cakes, certain dishes,fried rice and I know the chinese resturants will take a huge hit because 75% of their menu has eggs included in the ingredients. You cant make a cake with out eggs. so that means No cakes, birthday or otherwise..What about breakfast when eating out? I surely hope they get to the bottom of this quick..I happen to LOVE eggs..sheesh what next dont breathe the air?
aaron
August 19th, 2010
1:06 pm
like everything else that the media gets hold of, this too has been blown out of proportions. the scare last year was with the h1n1 flu, now it turns out that it was all a hoax.
chicken
August 19th, 2010
1:08 pm
To say that laying hens are tortured is terribly incorrect. Have you ever been in a layer house? They are provided shelter, food, and water. More than you can say about any other type of bird. Each company has strict animal welfare guidlines and enforces them thoroughly. You clearly know nothing of the poultry industry and should do some research before posting such comments.
ron faulk
August 19th, 2010
1:10 pm
Wash the egg of before you crack it and then cook it until done.
ARP
August 19th, 2010
1:14 pm
I thought the problem only occurs when people don’t cook the eggs well, or don’t use proper food preparation hygiene. When I cook with eggs, I treat raw or not-yet-fully-cooked eggs, anything containing them and anything that was in contact with them as a biohazard (i.e., disinfect surfaces, scrub hands after handling them and before handling anything that won’t itself be fully cooked, use a different spatula to remove a pancake from the pan from the spatula that was used to flip it when it was not yet fully cooked so as not to contaminate the final product, etc.) I simply assume eggs to have salmonella and other nasties unless they’ve been cooked/baked/microwaved enough.
marco
August 19th, 2010
1:17 pm
I thought over the past 10 years or so we’ve been taught to assume that all eggs and chicken have salmonella and all ground beef has e-coli… handle and cook properly and they are still safe to eat. Based on what’s happening here, it sounds as if the FDA is saying that it is generally ok to eat raw eggs.
Les
August 19th, 2010
1:18 pm
If you feel that you must eat eggs, get true, free-range eggs. Check out “PickYourOwn.org,” or Google another one! Or, drive to a local farm, that embraces free-range farming. Don’t be afraid to spend another buck or two for better products. Your spending dollars control a lot of what is produced and sold in this country (and in many other countries)!
These CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) cram as many animals as possible into as little space as possible, in order to make as much profit as possible. The animals have so much shhiitt all over the place, contamination is not a surprise. (Of course, you can find more info about these CAFOs online, also.)
Many people are brainwashed, in their food choices (as well as other choices). With many people incapable of thinking independently, the money-grubbers’ marketing gurus easily manipulate their feeble brains, and the idiots march lockstep.
Les
August 19th, 2010
1:20 pm
Dear “Chicken”:
Your allegiance is blatantly obvious. I wager that you are somehow affiliated with the agri-business Public Relations machine, no?
If not, then you are amazingly deluded.
shaggy
August 19th, 2010
1:21 pm
Now, I’m gonna go find me some organic hens to torture, while I bake a cake, except the local lady selling eggs at Walmart uses chemicals that maybe chicken brain will be certified humane or crack salmonella is nutritious for cooking 650 million pollution emptied freezer landfils.
Does that about cover it here?
David S
August 19th, 2010
1:23 pm
Chicken – I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve seen the videos, and I have seen the real thing in person. Free range is humane. The factory farms are not. You can even tell the difference in the quality of the final product.
But you folks go on believing whatever makes you feel better about your food choice – and it is a choice.
Pam
August 19th, 2010
1:28 pm
I quit eating those .79 dozen toxic eggs years ago. You get what you pay for. Support farmers who raise food humanely or this is what you’ll keep getting.
Rich
August 19th, 2010
1:28 pm
Someone said to just wash the eggs off and all would be fine. Read article at link below, simply washing is not the answer.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Salmonella-Can-Infect-Eggs-in-Multiple-Ways-152882.shtml
Drew
August 19th, 2010
1:30 pm
It’s quite simple, really–don’t buy mass-produced factory eggs from Kroger, Publix, or Walmart. Either buy them from Whole Foods or Trader Joes, or even better, buy from locally raised small farms.
deb
August 19th, 2010
1:43 pm
Chicken, would you like to spend your entire life working at a job in a small square room with 10 other people while they threw food at you every day? Give me Certified Humane any day. I WILL pay more for it.
deb
August 19th, 2010
1:44 pm
Oh, and Chicken, I forgot one more thing, you would have to have your teeth (i.e beak) removed so you wouldn’t fight with the other people in your small room when the crowding got to be too much.
helene
August 19th, 2010
1:52 pm
Yesterday, I had swimmers’ ear and we got some new eggs. Now, my throat hurts, I’m feverish, and I has a stomachache. Do you think it’s Salmonella?
Pat Weber
August 19th, 2010
1:53 pm
Yes, I will still eat eggs –
YOU see, our family runs a hobby farm and we have our own chickens, dairy goats, dairy cow, gardens, fruit trees, berries and honey bees.
We don’t buy food from the grocery store much, so we are not really impacted by the food issues.
We rarely eat out at restaurants, since we have the freshest, best tasting foods at home!
Jenn
August 19th, 2010
1:54 pm
Of course I will, because I buy them locally from a trusted farmer, not from a chicken factory with disgusting, inhumane conditions that perpetuate diseases.
Pat Weber
August 19th, 2010
1:57 pm
Drew,
part of the problem is the “washing of eggs” by the big egg factories. Did yo know that there is a protective coating on the eggs, which protects the yolk (inside of the egg)? When they wash it off, it becomes more susceptible to bacteria. Also, they scrub them up because of the filthy conditions that those eggs are laid in.
We put fresh hay/straw in the nest boxes and keep them clean. We have several nest boxes for our hens.
Pat Weber
August 19th, 2010
2:03 pm
Chicken,
Why not go visit a family farm that practices natural, free range and organic principles?
Or just watch Food Inc…
Do you know what they wash those eggs with?
cluck
August 19th, 2010
2:06 pm
Deb really LOVES chickens,,,know what I’m sayin? It just ain’t natural.
BIG GIRL
August 19th, 2010
2:07 pm
David S…the way you think, I would think you WOULD go vegan……you LITTLE GIRL.
keith
August 19th, 2010
2:09 pm
raw organic egg everyday
shaggy
August 19th, 2010
2:16 pm
I just had 3 over easy extra large eggs, grits, with 4 slices of bacon, and white toast, with real butter, washed down with a big glass of whole milk. I mixed the runny yolks with my grits. Yuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmm!
I was going to have a salad but then, I read the hysteric posts here and decided to dedicate it all to you moronic reactionaries.
PPP
August 19th, 2010
2:26 pm
YEP! My own eggs from my own farm….they are delicious!
wingsun
August 19th, 2010
2:37 pm
somedays ago some organic eggs were recalled too. so organic is not bulletproof.
LeeInOceanside
August 19th, 2010
2:39 pm
Washington is a bigger infection then eggs. Why doesn’t someone recall them . They are likely to hurt far more people then some eggs.
jeff
August 19th, 2010
2:56 pm
Twitter List now active displaying disease outbreaks in real time: https://twitter.com/replies#/list/IDonatePlasma/epidemiology
JN
August 19th, 2010
3:02 pm
Of course I will still eat eggs. But, I don’t buy from factory farms, ever, for any of my food. I buy local and yes, certified organic whenever possible. People that say there is no difference really should do their actually research on the matter and not just ‘drink the koolaid’ when it comes to what the ‘industry’ is telling you. If you grow food in an unsafe environment, the food is going to have a higher chance of being unsafe, that’s just the logical outcome. Cramming all those chickens into tiny little cages that are disgusting and filthy is of course going to produce issues. Which would you eat, a tomato grown in a radioactive field of human sewage or one grown in a piece of land that has rich organic soil filled with the nutrients required for growth naturally occurring in the soil and watered with clean water?
deb
August 19th, 2010
3:09 pm
Cluck, I don’t just love chickens, I love all animals, and I have empathy for the conditions in which they are raised. If they must sacrifice their lives for humans, they can at least be as happy as possible while they are doing it. BTW, I am not a veg, I eat chicken and a little meat, but I will only buy Certified Humane.
Crazy
August 19th, 2010
3:13 pm
I have four letters for you. P.E.T.A. = People Eating Tasty Animals. Ok now that I got that out of my system here is a new concept; COOK THE EGGS THOROUGHLY. About 95% of food related illnesses are because we do not follow proper prepping and cooking times and temperatures in our own home. We are all too busy to take the time to do it the right way. The way I see it is that if you did not follow proper food handling and cooking your food the right amount of time and temp then you deserve to get sick.
fred
August 19th, 2010
3:15 pm
i like turtles
Crazy
August 19th, 2010
3:16 pm
Oh yes I forgot to mention that we are at the top of the food chain. You dont see a lion complaining because a zebra has three legs; it doesnt matter what condition the animals are in. THEY ARE FOOD! If you dont like that simple fact; go join a forum that doesnt talk about animals.
MarkD
August 19th, 2010
3:19 pm
I ate the eggs.
Within an hour I was sick as a dog.
I threw up.
I got better.
My wife, too.
margaret
August 19th, 2010
3:26 pm
It is completely stupid to recall these eggs. There is always a risk of eating eggs that are uncooked. They should be fully cooked. If you are making a recipe that calls for uncooked eggs then you should use the egg-beaters type liquid ones or pasturized eggs. People should not be be taught that eggs are usually 100% safe. You have to handle them and cook with them intelligently.
Phranq
August 19th, 2010
3:46 pm
All you Vegans should stop badgering us Earthlings about our eating habits and go home. Vega is 25 million light-years away, so you’d better leave NOW.
Jan Laine
August 19th, 2010
5:01 pm
There are pasteurized eggs in the shell (Davisons), but only some Publix stores keep them in stock. They seem to not sell as well as others because they’re more expensive. I think they’re well worth it, especially as my family likes eggs cooked less than well don. If more people would purchase these, they’d be easier to find, and possibly less expensive.
shaggy
August 19th, 2010
6:11 pm
I liked my dripping, runny, gooey, over-easy eggs so much, I’m going to eat 4 of them in the morning. Don’t mess with my yolks.
Soothsayer
August 19th, 2010
8:05 pm
Good grief! Salmonella is one of the reasons we invented cooking! A total non-issue unless you like to eat raw eggs. (Not very tasty!)
VeggiGood
August 19th, 2010
9:36 pm
This is about handling and detection. Recently we had recalls for Spinach and Tomatoes – for salmonella poisoning. YIKES – I did not hear the vegans scream for eating only meat back then.
I do feel organic and humane are better [just a feeling] but the bacteria creatures know no vegan boundaries.
Oh, and I AM eating eggs – and feeding my kids too! – AND cheese AND meat AND grains AND fish and I can’t raise all of it or afford Whole foods all the time.
eggeater
August 19th, 2010
9:41 pm
Where did apple go?
Winger
August 19th, 2010
10:09 pm
I thought Salmonella was a female fish with a great voice.
VeggiGood
August 19th, 2010
10:31 pm
To the Holier-than-thou vegans:
Please stop with the food proselytism – I’ve yet to hear the non-veg crowd force their food religion on thou. You are not that much better than the rest of us animals.
lisa
August 19th, 2010
10:45 pm
It is true that Salmonella is on the shell, so washing the eggs before cracking will prevent this…also, THE COUNTRY HEN organic eggs, have never had salmonella found on them, ever. I only buy this brand now…..( find them at Whole Foods, and some Publix stores) Ck them out online… BTW, I eat raw egg yolks every day in my am drink, this is as nutritionally close to breast milk as you can get, so beneficial with amino-acids and minerals and biotin…..
Soulfly Supreme
August 20th, 2010
12:15 am
I eat meat, but No chicken fetus. I’m not a baby cow, so milk is out of the question. That stuff is for those who must over compensate for nutrients they can’t get naturally…
shangi
August 20th, 2010
4:42 am
Enter your comments here
David S
August 20th, 2010
8:51 am
Big Girl – Wow, that’s the best you can do? How sad! Some of us see suffering and choose a more compasionate path. What a shame that you think that is a bad thing. The world clearly needs more like you – not.
David S
August 20th, 2010
9:07 am
VeggiGood – Not sure what point you are trying to make regarding the Spinach and tomato salmonella contamination, but neither spinach nor tomatos nor any other vegetable or plant has the ability to harbor and grow these bacteria. They are also not a parasite of plants. They get on plants because of animal factory farms and the massive amount of waste they generate. E-coli and salmonella live in animals and come out in their waste. When you have hundrends and thousands of tons of waste that wash off fields and such into streams and onto the property of farmers, you have the potential for those bacteria to end up on plants. Since plants are generally not cleaned as though they are covered in waste material, the potential for human consumption of live bacteria is there.
Yes, this kind of contamination only further supports both a vegan lifestyle for ALL, or at the minimum, the protection of property rights and the demand that factory farms treat their waste in the same manner that human waste is treated before disposal. The fact that everyone feels the need to make animal products the primary component of their diets is directly responisble for the rise of enormous factory farms. There is simply no other way to meet these overwhelming demands for product. If everyone cut back even 25% we would see a great improvement in overall food safety for everyone.
Eggeater
August 20th, 2010
9:31 am
I do eat eggs – but only from Cage free chickens. I believe animals (chickens, cows, pigs etc) should live as animals – not in tiny cages or stalls just to make it more profitable. I’m willing to pay the price for cage free chickens, grass fed beef etc.
FOOD, Inc.
August 20th, 2010
10:06 am
This recall should be of no surprise and we should expect more of the same. Watch the documentary, Food, Inc. The film examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding that agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy in a way that is abusive of animals and environmentally-harmful.
The small farmer has been replaced by four major food providers, Monsanto Company, Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods and Perdue Farms. The whole system is made possible by government subsidies to a few huge crops like corn. It’s a form of socialism that’s making us sick.
veganzombie
August 20th, 2010
2:17 pm
Lookit all them smart people with there smart words, bet ya’ll have a purty mouth too. ya’ll can cry bout what them eggs and cows and chickens, but yer all full of it cause Jesas he was a great cook and he can fry up some rabbit or posum meat and its good.
Educated Poultry Man
August 20th, 2010
2:36 pm
Just to add to the post about organic raised chickens which will produce an organic egg.
Organic has very little to do about bacteria on or inside eggs.
Most bacteria laden eggs come from chickens either walking in their feces or from rodents or other animals carrying the bacteria and eventually infecting the chicken.
Most people think organic means an egg that has no bacteria connected to it. This is far from the truth. Organic means feeding the animal with organic grown feed and utilizing no antibiotics in the feed or water.
Organic chickens that run around on the ground in their own, other chickens, or other animal feces may actually be MORE susceptible to acquiring bacteria. Actual chickens that are raising above the ground that have no contact with the ground, other animal feces, or other animals have a better chance of being bacteria free. Most chicken farms do not use antibiotics regularly and the updated chicken farms actually vaccinate for salmonella.
People who think cage free chickens produce bacteria free eggs are misguided and far from the truth-remember cage free chickens run around in their own and other animals feces all day long including sleeping on the ground where other animals defecate. Not very sanitary at all. And with cage free eggs chickens will lay eggs on the ground that has all this feces on it. Yes the egg can be washed on the outside but it is the inside that can get bacteria from what the chicken eats and with cage free chickens the chickens are always picking things from the ground to eat. If you don’t believe go to a cage free operation and observe for yourself the behavior of chickens.
This recall is only one large chicken facility that packs for several different companies. I would bet at this facility the chicken manure stays in the barns till the chickens are moved out of the facility instead of the manure dropping on a belt and being removed every day or every other day to reduce potential contamination. With the chicken manure staying in the building the potential with rodent carrying bacteria is much higher also many chicken facilities are closed in and practice biosecurity
so no rodents can get inside the building. Cage free is not the answer to eliminating bacteria as it can actually increase the potential of bacteria because of the way the chicken is living. And yes many people will pay the added cost for cage free eggs but many people in the U.S. cannot afford the added cost to their food budget. Cage free is not disease free. Cage free is more of a person’s social stand than a stand on disease, bacteria, and protein content of the egg.
Now the practical side, just cook the egg-scrambled, over hard (instead of over medium), etc. etc.
Salmonella is everywhere in nature, and is hard to avoid wash your fruits and vegetables and yes even organic grown vegetable as they can touch the ground where bacteria is.
From what I understand this egg facility is sending all their eggs now to a liquid processing plant (called a breaker) where the liquid will be pasteurized and go out as liquid eggs used at most restaurants, baking facilities and fast food breakfast places.
Please get your information from a state university or other independent sources before you start making claims about products. If we all went vegetarian in the United States we would not be able to produce enough protein for society to live, it is just a matter of a numbers game as to protein in vegetable and protein needed for the body to live healthy. High protein vegetables can not be grown everywhere plus the volume needed would mean more fertilizer and chemicals would be used to produce the products.
By the way I do not raise chickens but I buy eggs and eat eggs almost everyday-at breakfast, in cakes, in cookies, etc. etc. I plan on continuing to eat eggs from an egg supplier that has a modern non cage free facility which is USDA inspected which many facilities are not USDA inspected because of the cost. It is not the law to be USDA inspected. Many cage free operations are not USDA inspected where an inspector is on site continually when the eggs are being processed and takes random egg samples. Enjoy your eggs!
SNAKEOIL
August 20th, 2010
2:38 pm
When Jesus came down from Mt. Sinai and gave us the 10 Commandments he also spoke of the animals are for us to eat soooooooooo there.
VeggiGood
August 20th, 2010
2:56 pm
If salmonella contamination is your basis for supporting a vegan lifestyle, then you should stop eating ALL foods that get contaminated.
GodforME
August 20th, 2010
2:57 pm
I heard salomella is caused by the chicken poop being mixed in the feeders and the chickens are eating the poop and pooping it back out for other chisckens to eat. gross out man…..I love Jesus
VeggiGood
August 20th, 2010
3:05 pm
LOL GodforME – guess what your plants are eatin…LOL!
GodforME
August 20th, 2010
3:47 pm
Plants eat water and soil and God’s giving light. thats all!!!
VeggiGood
August 20th, 2010
4:18 pm
Wow GodforME – y’all are certainly in need of enlightenment … guess you did not take Biology in school. Y’all should read up – fosho and find out what’s in the soil…esp if you like your food organic.
WOW – LOL
GodforME
August 20th, 2010
4:49 pm
If salmonola is in the eggs then it’s is the will of GOD!!!! only god can make stuff!!! because in the bible jesus was making stuff all the time, and he was planting foods like eggs and milk for all the poor peoples that were called jews. The jews were of the farmers back then in europe when jesus showed them how to catch the fishes in the sea.
VeggiGood
August 20th, 2010
5:02 pm
WOW GodforME – now tell me what you know about Sheeva – yooo sho sound enlitend
VeggiGood
August 20th, 2010
5:04 pm
oh and while you are at it, get some science and stop with the god stuff – this is about eggs – OK.
Shanti OUT
Yum
August 20th, 2010
5:08 pm
I love me some unborn chicken fetus. I ate some eggs last night for dinner. Yes, they are blowing this WAY out of proportion!!! As someone said earlier, uncooked chicken, eggs, uncooked meat, etc is always supposed to be handled properly because it supposedly DOES contain salmonella, ecoli, other bacterias or whatever so this shouldn’t even be news to us!!! Cook and handle your food properly and you should be fine people!! And if you get sick, oh well. Your body should get sick every once in a while anyway to help build up your immune system.
Kelly
August 20th, 2010
5:28 pm
People freak out about a little bacteria that a healthy immune system will easily take care of. The doctors don’t want us to know this. They make their living off our ignorance of natural health.
Bacteria don’t concern me, it’s the immune destroying chemicals used in food production we should be concerned about. I’m not afraid to eat a egg with salmonella on it. Many people DO with no ill effects, thanks to their healthy immune system. I cleaned up my diet and haven’t been ill in years. Eat food that is still alive for God’s sake! Like free-range eggs!
Back in 1968 I read about a study where a group of people spent a week in the field without bathing and then had the bacteria level on their skin measured. It was negligible. After bathing it skyrocketed. Sterility attracts bacteria and the bad ones tend to overpopulate. That’s why Hospitals are so likely to give you an infection. Also recently read that hand sanitizers are worthless.
I guarantee you, someone is making millions of dollars off this recall…at the expense of others.
Kelly
August 20th, 2010
5:50 pm
I wonder why we never hear of people getting sick from eating “cage-free” eggs if they are as dangerous as Educated Poultry Man leads us to believe. His “name” led me to believe he has experience raising chickens, till he later admitted he doesn’t.
By the way there is a big difference in “cage-free” egg production and “free-range”. I don’t fuel my body with the cheapest food I can buy, so I don’t care if my eggs cost over $3 a dozen. The firm, dark orange yolks, and the strong shells speak for themselves. You get what you pay for…
I can’t believe anyone would regard a chicken living free to eat it’s natural diet, is inferior to any type of production scheme. Doesn’t make sense to me. But then I’m am NOT an Educated Poultry Man.
GodforME
August 20th, 2010
6:28 pm
Science is EVIL!!!! vegigood you need to heed the LORD of GOD!!! be saved and all the lords will be with you…. jesus comes soon hooray for jesus and the lords
VeggiGood
August 20th, 2010
8:08 pm
shanti OM shanti
Concerned
August 20th, 2010
11:27 pm
Just washing eggs will not get rid of the simonella. Thoroughly cooking the eggs is not a sure thing either, at least I wouldn’t trust it. If you really have to eat eggs and can’t just stay away from them till you know the eggs you are eating are safe, then just cook the eggs really really well. Why not eat eggs from a local market? Get to know the farmer, what they feed their animals and every detail you can. It is really important what you put into your body. “You are what you eat,” they say and what you put into your mouth effects everything, from fueling your whole body to regulating body temp. Eating food without pesticides, artificial ingredients and changing to 100% organic, pure, and localy grown can change everything. Read the ingredients and if it has things in it that you don’t understand and have no idea what it is chances are you shouldn’t eat it. Some USDA staff work for the big food companys, of course they want to get all the money they can and really don’t care what happens to the people, they sit back in their offices soaking up the money and benifts. We have to really watch out for ourselves and what we eat. It may be more expensive to eat this way but it’s your life and well being that is at stake. Watch “Food Inc.” and you’ll get a little more insight to what I’m saying. Company’s everywhere are hiding things from you that they don’t want you to know, scary things.
shangi
August 20th, 2010
11:35 pm
Eggs are good for you. Eat em up!! Imagine how many perfectly good eggs got tossed out because of all this paranoia. Learn how to cook yer damn eggs and stop being such wussies!
shangi
August 20th, 2010
11:36 pm
Oh and guess what you dumb vegans, alfalfa sprouts get recalled all the time, probably more than eggs.
Clay
August 21st, 2010
8:43 am
Pay the extra $1 per carton for pasteurized eggs
http://www.safeeggs.com/
Lori
August 21st, 2010
9:31 am
I get my eggs from a farm in Canton, GA the hens run free, eat bugs, and normal chicken feed. Freshest and best eggs I have ever had. Money stays here locally. Once a month I pick up 4 dozen and are in heaven!
Angela
August 21st, 2010
9:44 am
RUN! Hide and shelter the children!…………..who cares…….I can’t believe no one is complaining that the GOVERNMENT issued a recall on eggs. How dare they attempt to control you like that!
Go eat your eggs, eat them with or without chemicals, caged or cage free. All will be ok. geeezzz
RE: CLAY
August 21st, 2010
11:07 am
Say NO TO PASTEURIZATION! It kills everything – both good and bad – in your food. Pay the extra $1 on local, pasture raised eggs from a farmer or neighbor. My eggs come from across the street. I will eat them raw with no worries. Why? They haven’t been sitting in a warehouse or on a truck for 6 weeks before they reach the grocery store. Buy local, raw eggs, milk, dairy products and be HEALTHY! I got physically ill shopping at Kroger today b/c of all the chemicals and pesticides in our “food”.
The Doktor
August 21st, 2010
11:08 am
Don’t eat many of them anyway… or consume all that much regarding dairy products, for that matter. Just a personal choice…
George
August 21st, 2010
11:25 am
Ok, let’s all stop eating, there, no more problems….
Kelly
August 21st, 2010
11:28 am
Regarding the Pasteurized eggs that Clay mentioned, I am concerned that the process may destroy some or all of the enzymes in the egg, rendering it basically “dead” compared to what Nature provided. It is one of the reasons I use raw milk rather than the cooked milk most people waste their money and health drinking. Pasteurizing is, for those who don’t know, a simple heating process. For those who care about this possibility, do as I did. Research enzyme destruction temperatures, e-mail the company at the link Clay provided above, and ask them if they have researched enzyme survival in their eggs after the Pasteurization process.
Regarding chickens with salmonella on their ovaries: Once again, their immune systems are no doubt compromised from the unnatural living conditions they are subjected to. It would be interesting to research for any studies comparing “free-range” to “production” chickens, and the rate of internal salmonella infection.
I am encouraged that so many posters here seem to have common sense on this subject, and don’t allow fear to control their lives. Keep listening to your heart and not your ego!
flababs
August 21st, 2010
11:37 am
OK, so I have a dozen “bad eggs”. Can I throw them on my compost heap, or will they contaminate that as well?
nora
August 21st, 2010
12:57 pm
Heck yeah, I still eat eggs. Well I don’t eat that many eggs anyway (cholesterol and all) but I’m not afraid to eat an egg. I think it is wastefulness of the worst kind to destroy a billion eggs. There is NO WAY, NO HOW that the threat of salmonella – if those eggs were properly handled to minimize the threat – can outweigh throwing away that much food. They could still be used in products in which they were thoroughly cooked or pasteurized instead of being sold raw.
BTW, all eggs are “organic” by the definition of organic which is “of, relating to, or derived from living organisms”. For that matter ALL food we eat is “organic”.
Bob
August 21st, 2010
2:45 pm
I have some Publix brand eggs, are they safe?
Lily
August 21st, 2010
5:25 pm
I have four hens in my backyard. Fresh eggs every morning. It’s a good thing
Kelly
August 21st, 2010
6:00 pm
Nora,
The term “organic”, as applied to chicken eggs, is how the chickens are fed and raised, not what the eggs are, or derived from. Organic as relates to food production is generally defined by the FDA as being grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The word has a different meaning to the FDA and an informed consumer than the dictionary, making your point believable only by people ignorant about what constitutes organic products. To be certified “organic” a chicken can not be fed only “dead” synthesized feed, but eats a natural diet outside, like bugs and other “living organisms”. Reread the definition you quoted. It uses the term “living organisms”. Most chickens are raised in total captivity, may never eat a living thing, and are fed man-made feed, rather than nature-made feed, so the FDA does NOT allow the term “organic” to be used to describe it’s eggs. Nobody disputes that “organic” was not the best word to describe those products, and it may someday change. All food we eat IS NOT LIVING, compared to an apple or carrot. The living enzymes can be destroyed by chemicals, preservatives, heat, and grinding, crushing processes, which makes it “processed food”, the reason the United States is among the most unhealthy of all the “civilized” nations.
Too bad the cholesterol “scare” about eggs stuck in your head. Dietary cholesterol intake has been shown to have little to no effect on the cholesterol build up in our arteries that many people experience. The bodies ability to produce the free-radicals to prevent the clogging is one deciding factor. Not all “fat” is bad either BTW. Grass-fed beef vs. grain-fed for example. Research these issues and I’m sure your level of inner peace will improve.
Ern
August 21st, 2010
6:36 pm
absolutely. I will just walk out to the backyard coop and grab a few.
VeggiGood
August 21st, 2010
7:41 pm
Does Obama eat bacon with his eggs?
SheEdu8
August 22nd, 2010
8:00 am
I buy local organic …everything. To think that factory farm foods are safe or in fact nutritious is absurd. All it proves is that as a nation we believe anything that is put in front of us to be safe as long as it is CHEAP. Many Americans will buy cheap food that is irradiated, injected, raised in cramped dirty conditions…as long as its CHEAP. You can believe all the nonsense they pitch. I am not so naive. There is a lot of information out there. The threat of disease lies in all farm production…care needs to be taken on any scale. For me I will put my trust in small local farms anyday where the food is healthier, fresh, nutrient dense and you can actually have a conversation with the grower at a farmers market.All you people that are lining up to buy your cheap factory eggs…buy an extra dozen or two, I won’t be needing them.
shangi
August 22nd, 2010
1:22 pm
Cheap or expensive, an egg is an egg. A factory farm egg is just as nutritious as an “organic” backyard raised egg!! You’re all getting fooled!
Kelly
August 22nd, 2010
8:50 pm
Hey shangi,
I prefer eggs that have a dark orange yolk that you don’t have to “baby” so it doesn’t break when you turn it over, rather than the pale yellow yolks that break when you crack the egg, or drop it in the pan.
There is a big difference in the shell strength of naturally produced eggs also. I think all users of naturally produced eggs would disagree with you. It sounds to me like you have never used decent eggs in your life, or don’t have the observation skills to notice the difference.
In one of your previous posts you state: “nutritionally they’re identical and as far as safety goes non-organic is statistically safer.” Care to back up that statement with a link to some independant research? Again, users of natural eggs won’t stop using them on the basis of your statement, so you are just “preaching to the choir”. Like I stated previously, I’ve never heard of “free-range” or even “cage-free” eggs being recalled. Judging from your several posts I wonder… How old are you anyway?
Cry for the dying trees in Atlanta metro
August 22nd, 2010
10:09 pm
The grass, trees, plants and fruit are withering up and dying It’s NOT FALL yet! Why are the leaves yellow, red, and brown? Why don’t the birds chirp anymore? What is really going on in the environment? “Corexoil” has been unleashed on us. WAKE UP! LOOK AROUND! EVERYTHING is dying or dead!!!
David
August 23rd, 2010
1:39 am
If you’ve read this far you have too much time on your hands and should get a hobby.
Just like I’m a bit reluctant to eat oysters on the half shell the day after somebody dies from doing so, I won’t be making my Caesar salad dressing from raw egg this week.
Otherwise, business as usual. Glad the “bad eggs” aren’t in Georgia. Wish Nathan Deal would eat some.
shangi
August 23rd, 2010
1:42 am
dark orange yolks? Sounds like there’s blood in it.. Anyway, they probably just feed the chickens dye to color the yolks, doesn’t mean anything, it’s just “fashionable” I guess. And big deal about the shell strength, you don’t eat the shell.
shaggy
August 23rd, 2010
12:47 pm
Yep, I ate some eggs this morning. I had a hard time keeping the runny yolks out of my grits. as is usual. Now, that’s breakfast…4 over easy eggs, grits with real butter, 4 thick-cut bacon strips.
Dang, I just might have a couple of over easy egg sandwiches, with mayo and cheese. The gooey yolk and the mayo mix to flow on your fingers, so you had better have a few napkins. Me, I just lick the viscous, lava-like goo off of my fingers.
Yuuummmmmmmmmmmm!
J
August 23rd, 2010
12:49 pm
Organic eggs are not 100% safe. But due to the chickens having more room living in a free range the contact with waste is less common and therefore there is less risk of infection. This is why organic farms dont use antibiotics, if regular farms didnt use them most of the animals would die of infection due to the overcrowded cages. Watch the movie FOOD INC and you will see why organic is better. Its not only cleaner but more humane.
http://www.self.com/fooddiet/blogs/nutritiondata/2008/02/organic-free-ra.html
shaggy
August 23rd, 2010
12:56 pm
I watched “Food Inc.”. I thought much of the acting was a little stale, however Jack Nicholson’s performance as enforcer hitman, brought light to an otherwise dark story. I wondered how they managed to get the helicopter to do those stunts, while chasing Max. The special effects, provided by “Dream Works”, were outstanding and should be nominated for an Oscar. That was the real star of this flick.
glenna
August 23rd, 2010
1:27 pm
I think the idea of buying organic is mostly that there are fewer and smaller sources. When these outbreaks occur and the product (spinach, eggs, hamburger — whatever), comes from some centralized warehouse that receives goods from hundreds of sources, it is really difficult to isolate the contamination. Hens that have been raised in an antibiotic free environment may contain as many bacteria as any other, but it is less likely that resistant bacteria will be present when there is no history of antibiotic use, so whatever is there is less dangerous. Egg whites are an industrial source of lysozyme – an enzyme that kills a variety of bacteria. It is there to keep the inside of the egg free of bacteria, so it is the outside — the shell — that harbors contamination. Treating with salt, washing, etc., are methods that producers use to get rid of anything that might be on the outside of the egg, and therefore transferred to the liquid of the egg when you open it. Even if you do use an egg whose shell is covered with salmonella, and some of that gets into the cake batter, the temperature at which you cook it will kill it. Also, if you are just making a cake, and you don’t incubate the batter with the contaminated eggs, the bacteria won’t have time to grow to a density that will produce toxins that cannot be destroyed by cooking. If Salmonella is not killed and gets into your body, it grows and produces toxins that make you sick. They reproduce by dividing, so it only takes one tiny tiny microbe to make you sick. However, if you make sure your eggs are clean, you will be fine. It’s too bad the media doesn’t give us this information, and so many people panic, instead of just doing what they need to to protect themselves. You can wash eggs yourself, and if you do a good job, you will not be at risk.
Kelly
August 23rd, 2010
11:49 pm
Just as I suspected, this shangi troll has never had any experience with eggs from a healthy chicken. Those of us who have, appreciate dark firm yolks and the meaning of a strong shell that doesn’t shatter into many pieces. They are indications of the health of the chicken that layed them. Just like the “blood in them” and “feed the chickens dye” comments indicate the emotional health and maturity of the author that crapped them.
I also suspect that shangi and shaggy are the same troll and I’m starting to feel foolish responding to their asinine comments. I trust most of us realize where they are talking out of. LOL!
Nice comments glenna! I believed that the salmonella was only on the outside of the egg, until I read that chickens actually get infected ovaries, and can transmit it to the inside of the egg. No doubt this only occurs in unhealthy, immune compromised birds, like are typical in the egg “factories”. Another instance of unnatural living producing unnatural consequences and circumventing Mother Natures’ safeguards.
shangi
August 24th, 2010
7:08 am
Just as I suspected kelly has no brain. do your research, they do add dye to the feed to make the yolks darker. Yellow yolks are just as nutritious, the color means absolutely nothing, it’s just a marketing tactic. I’ve eaten all sorts of eggs from different breeds of hens in dozens of different countries. Trust me, even the healthiest hens on a pure organic diet can lay eggs with yellow yolks and a debeaked battery hen with hardly any feathers can lay an egg with your coveted dark orange yolks.
glenna
August 24th, 2010
1:25 pm
I used to work for a company (three different ones actually) who grew algae which was added to, among other things, chicken feed. The pigment of interest was called astaxanthin, it is very very red, and it contains powerful antioxidants. Chickens food containing that ate that had darker yolks which contained higher levels of certain nutrients and antioxidants. Salmon are also fed food that contains this pigment, and without it they don’t reproduce well, their muscle tissue is mushy and their flesh is not pink. These animals could be grown without this natural pigment, but they were much healthier with it. You could call this a dye, but it is not, and animals who have this as part of their diet are healthier. Thus, color can be an indicator of nutrient/health status, and obviously, dyes would cover that up. I’m not sure what ‘dye’ you are referring to, but could it be a pigment like this that also has nutritional value?
LeeInOceanside
August 24th, 2010
4:14 pm
So many eggadurations.
OILWRESTLER
August 24th, 2010
7:03 pm
What’s wrong with eating eggs? I suck the yolk with a straw and I suck it good…
shaggy
August 25th, 2010
6:35 am
Kelly,
You are a moron. However, I am going to eat 4 runny, gooey, slurpalicious eggs in honor of your stupidity.
Later, I intend to take a hen and confine her, forcing her to listen to a tape loop that repeats, “Kelly’s salmonella ovaries have dark orange yolks and crusty hard shells.” over and over and over……
Edgar
August 25th, 2010
9:50 am
Kelly, I am with you. The best eggs come from chickens that roam free on the farm. What do the chickens eat? Anything they can. They eat insects, kitchen scraps, and scratch grain out of cow manure. They eat dirt and grit. These chickens produce eggs that have yolks that are a dark yellow color and stand up in a frying pan. The shell does breaks clean. The yolk is easier to separate from the whites. I think these eggs have a better flavor than production eggs. It depends on the type of egg that a person grew up eating as to which they prefer.
When handling eggs, I think there should be 3 C’s.
Cleaning: always clean the egg prior to breaking. Most Salmonella is comes from chicken poop, and we know where the egg comes from. I like to clean mine before I refrigerate them.
Cooling: Keep the eggs cool. The center of the refrigerator is better than the door. The temperature is more constant.
Cooking: Thoroughly cook the eggs.
Following these recommendations should keep the salmonella at bay.
Victoria
August 25th, 2010
11:51 am
I buy my eggs at Ingles, which gets their eggs from North Georgia. I buy perishable foods from stores like Ingles and Publix, which buy from local (Georgia, North Carolina, Florida) sources, rather than nationwide chains which ship their eggs, dairy and produce from all over the country. Not only does that mean less gasoline is used, but the food is fresher and is not grown on “mega-farms.”
Neither Publix nor Ingles eggs are included in the recall, so yes- I’ll continue to eat eggs for breakfast.
Peachtree Pete
August 25th, 2010
11:53 am
Just don’t eat them raw or “over easy.” It’s a fairly simple rule.
shaggy
August 25th, 2010
5:45 pm
Tonight, I’m whipping up a couple of over easy egg sandwiches in honor of Peachtree Pete.
I hope Kelly stops in, because I got these eggs for $.99 a dozen, and I know she likes a good salmonella sandwich. The bacteria adds protein, and I think you will agree, a little extra flavor.
Man, those things are good. That yolk runs into the white bread and binds with the mayo. Maybe throw some cheese on them to goo em up real good.
Mike
August 30th, 2010
10:20 am
I would do as eggs are great when building muscle or lean muscle
Get lean by eating more food http://tinyurl.com/Belinda-Benn-Get-Lean-BONUSES
Bob
September 1st, 2010
11:26 am
I love Samon and Eggs, Is Samon bad now? We still got some frozen Samon in the freezer should be ok..I didn’t realize that Salmonella came from fish.
Carolyn Molyneux
September 8th, 2010
9:12 pm
I will continue to eat eggs because I buy them locally from a free-range farm that does not have diseased chickens. Factory farmed chickens are subject to all kinds of diseases. When you cram a lot of animals into a small space, you have disease. The problem is factory farming, not chickens.
catlady
September 13th, 2010
9:09 pm
I gather about 9 organic eggs per day from my eleven healthy, happy, free-range hens. I feel fairly safe about them, as I have read about the horrors that even the “good” confinement farms. See USA Today for this past Saturday. If I can’t get my eggs from my hens, I doubt I will be eating them much.
Paul Simon
September 15th, 2010
7:53 am
The Mother and Child reunion.