U.S. Egg Safety Standards Still Falling Short of British Success in Reducing Salmonella Rates
September 17, 2010 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis Eggs are one of the most important staples of the human diet. They’re eaten as part of breakfasts all over the world, and are needed for countless recipes. While used as quality sources of protein and thickeners, they’re also highly vulnerable to Salmonella contamination if the right conditions aren’t met.
A USDA inspector checks eggs. File photo.
Over the summer, the United States saw major Salmonella outbreaks that “sickened hundreds of people across the country” and led to the massive recall of eggs from two major Iowa producers.
These latest outbreaks came just weeks before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s latest rollout of egg safety requirements. “Preventing harm to consumers is our first priority and these actions will prevent thousands of serious illnesses from Salmonella in eggs,” said the agency’s Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, in an effort to reassure the public.
From May to August of this year, about 1,500 illnesses were reported to likely be associated with these outbreaks, according to information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
The FDA says that every year “as many as 79,000 illness and 30 deaths are due to consumption of eggs contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella Enteritidis” and touts that implementing the preventative measures would reduce the number of salmonella infections from eggs by “nearly 60 percent.”