Another opportunity for greedflation at the grocery store.
intercst
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I wonder what happens to recalled eggs. I notice eggs used in products like mayonnaise are pasteurized. Would that kill salmonella?
Could conceivably be used in numerous processed, packaged products.
Sending millions of eggs to a landfill or sewage treatment plant might be a problem.
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I’ve wondered if they couldn’t have some use. Pig food?
Yes, certainly in pet foods. And lots of baked foods.
Notice that salmonella is suspected in some eggs but lots more were recalled to be on the safe side. Most are safe—especially when properly cooked or pasteurized.
Usually landfills for eggs. For meats, maybe back on the shelf.
However, not all recalled food necessarily ends up in landfills. Depending on the reason for the recall, there is an entire secondary market that takes tainted meats, such as raw meats that test positive for E. coli, and safely cooks them into processed foods, according to a 2016 report by Buzzfeed. These formerly-tainted processed foods can be found in your supermarket freezer section, in fast-food, or even in pet food. And this method is USDA-approved.
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I routinely treat all foods, especially eggs and chickens, as if they are tainted with dangerous bacteria. I handle them as little as possible. I cook them thoroughly and never eat them partially raw. I clean all surfaces with antiseptic spray after handling.
My husband eats packaged salads so I buy them for him. But I cook all my vegetables. I do eat raw fruits after washing them but I prefer to eat clementines and bananas which have peels.
I have an old-fashioned style stainless steel pressure cooker. I cook meats in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes to get soups and stews. (Except for the ones I cook at high temperature in a frying pan or braise for over an hour.) I also roast a whole chicken (6 pounds) in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour and 45 minutes. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part is 165 degrees.
I never leave eggs at room temperature. If I need room temperature eggs (e.g. for baking or an omelet) I put them in a container under water and microwave for 1 minute. Never microwave an egg without water - it will explode. I hard-boil eggs for 12 minutes.
I have had food poisoning three times. Once was probably tainted water since we were camping and DH didn’t get sick (he drinks only coffee, never water). Once was after a picnic. Once I’m not sure where I got it.
Food poisoning is very dangerous and the aftermath can last for weeks. If I got it now I would go to urgent care right away.
Wendy
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Twice, here; once with raw oysters, once with raw porcini. Something about the word “raw” in there. I live less dangerously, now. I’m a learner, albeit slow at times. And lucky, very lucky to still be alive.
Europe has achieved major reductions in salmonella. Here is Google on the subject. So far the US resisted the program but pays the price of that decision.
Europe has drastically reduced, but not entirely eliminated, Salmonella. It achieved this major public health success through a “farm-to-fork” strategy established in the 2000s via EU regulations. This approach relies heavily on mandatory flock vaccination, strict hygiene rules, and culling contaminated animals rather than washing or chemically treating food post-production. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
Key Prevention and Control Measures
- Mandatory Vaccination: Farmers widely vaccinate laying hens and breeding flocks against high-risk Salmonella strains, stopping the bacteria before it infects the animal or enters the egg. [1, 2]
- Farm-to-Fork Monitoring: The European Food Safety Authority enforces strict testing protocols across feed production, live animal raising, and slaughterhouses. [1, 2, 3]
- Flock Culling: If breeding or laying flocks test positive for regulated Salmonella serovars, authorities mandate the systematic culling or restriction of the flocks. [1, 2]
- Preserving the Egg Cuticle: European rules prohibit washing eggs to keep the natural outer protective layer (cuticle) intact, which prevents bacteria from entering the shell. Instead, safety is managed at the farm level, allowing eggs to be safely stored without refrigeration. [1, 2, 3]
- No Chlorine Rinses: Unlike systems that rely on end-of-line chemical washes, the EU bans post-slaughter chlorine rinses, focusing instead on total contamination prevention during life. [1]
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Where I live in Mexico the eggs are under European style rules, including no refrigeration and “unwashed” shells. I buy from a local operation, and the eggs are wonderfully richly flavored.
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Our neighbor has a bed-and-breakfast and has 36 chickens to supply his guests with eggs. We often get his excess eggs when the hens are too productive. They are the best.
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