Are Your Eggs Safe? Follow These Expert Tips

Last week, the 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.

"I'm deeply concerned," says Newsmax Health contributor Dr. Chauncey Crandall. "It's not just a couple of cartons. The number of eggs recalled is tremendous.

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"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 don't need treatment," he says, adding that 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," Crandall says. 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.

"We're continuing to investigate aggressively to determine the exact source of the contamination," said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on NBC's "Today" show.

"As we move forward with the recall, we may see some additional sub-recalls over the next couple of days, maybe even weeks, as we better understand the sort of network of distribution of these eggs that are potentially contaminated."

In the meantime, how do you protect yourself and your family from being sickened by salmonella-infected eggs? "I don't think you can buy safe eggs," Crandall says, adding that even organic eggs can carry salmonella. But the following tips will help keep you healthy:

� Be informed. Keep up-to-date on the brands and manufacturing plant numbers affected in recalls. At the end of every egg carton, you'll see the letter "P." The four numbers immediately after the P indicate the plant where the eggs were produced. The "Julian" date follows, which is the date they were packaged. For instance, 001 would be Jan, 1 and 365 would represent Dec. 31. These numbers and dates are different from the "sell by" dates.

� 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. "Make sure your hands are clean," Crandall says. "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."

More government regulation isn't the answer to salmonella-infected eggs, Crandall says. "I don't think we need more regulations. We just need to realize that eggs can carry salmonella, and we need to be careful."

For the latest information on the egg recall, go to www.eggsafety.org.

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