Wednesday, August 25, 2010

An Egg for Every American

A Bad Egg for Every American? Thursday, August 19th, 2010

"Investigations into a multi-state outbreak of salmonella have triggered a major recall of eggs involving 17 states and 380 million eggs—that's one bad egg per person in the United States.

By now, many of us have developed an unnatural but necessary fear of French toast, cake, omelets, egg salad sandwiches and more. Investigations into a multi-state outbreak of salmonella have triggered a major recall of eggs involving 17 states and 380 million eggs (more than one egg per person in the United States, plus a few omelets), and those numbers could continue to grow.



The affected eggs were packaged as far back as mid-May—an entire season ago.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2010/08/a-bad-egg-for-every-american/

The recalled shell eggs are packaged under the following brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps.
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Q: How do I determine what eggs are affected by the recall? 

A: Dates and codes can be found stamped on the packaging. The plant number begins with the letter "P", followed by a number (P-1946 in the example below). The Julian date follows the plant number (223 in the example).
Dates and codes can be found stamped on the end of the egg carton. The plant number begins with the letter

It is important to note that both the plant number and Julian date must match. If the Julian date does not match the affected plant number, then your eggs are not currently involved in the recall.

A list of the recalled eggs and more at:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WhatsNewinFood/ucm223536.htm
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August 19, 2010

Cage Confinement of Laying Hens Increases Salmonella Risk:


"The HSUS' undercover investigations at Iowa egg factories revealed rampant cruelty and food safety problems.


An abundance of science shows that forcing hens to endure confinement inside cages increases the risk of Salmonella compared to keeping hens in a cage-free environment.
In fact, there have been nine studies published in the last five years comparing cage and cage-free egg operations, and they all found higher rates of Salmonella in the caged facilities.
Even many in the industry agree that cage systems increase Salmonella risk."

From: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/confinement_farm/facts/salmonella.html
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August 18, 2010

In Wake of Egg Recall, The Humane Society of the United States Urges Industry to Eliminate Cage Confinement Systems for Laying Hens.




"A multi-state egg recall this week illustrates the risk to public health of cramming millions of hens in cages so small they can barely move an inch their whole lives.

"Factory farms that cram egg-laying hens into tiny cages are not only cruel, but they threaten food safety," stated Michael Greger, MD, director of public health and animal agriculture for The Humane Society of the United States. "According to the best available science, simply by switching to cage-free housing systems, the egg industry may be able to halve the risk of Salmonella for the American public."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 100,000 Americans suffer egg-borne Salmonella infections every year. An increase in Salmonella infections led this week to a nationwide recall of eggs from Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa.

The company confines more than 7.5 million egg laying hens. Every scientific study published in the last 5 years found increased Salmonella rates in cage operations.

American Egg Board research has shown that that common egg cooking methods such as scrambling and serving over easy and sunny side up are insufficient to eliminate the threat of Salmonella.

To protect public health, the industry must take steps to reduce risks on the farm, including moving to cage-free operations."
More at: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2010/08/egg_recall_081810.html
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My eggs are not in the recall, as I buy organic cage free eggs.
I will not be party to the cruelty of caged hens. The Cage-Free organic eggs cost more, but they taste better and have more nutrients, and they aren't fed genetically modified junk, so they are more healthy to eat.
 
I don't eat many eggs, so the cost difference is a no-brainer, might as well eat something that is good for you, and tastes better.
Jay had some here the other day, and he couldn't believe how much better they taste.
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Today:

For the second morning in a row, the cats have been able to go out on the screen porch early in the morning.  It was 70 deg. when I let them out there.   But they were back in by 9.30 AM, at 82 deg., for their breakfasts.

I made a quick trip into Conroe and turned some papers into SS, and even had a brief interview with one of their agents.  It might increase my check a little, but it takes a couple of months for it to happen.

A brief stop at the 99c Store turned into a little shopping spree. They have a generic brand of acetaminophen-PM that doesn't make my legs itch, and most brands do.  Just shows you what different chemicals there are in things.  I also bought a bunch of fresh veggies there, as they were on my list anyway.  The cats got a treat of catnip to put in their catnip holder.

It felt like it was a cooler day, with less humidity, and the wind was blowing, so it didn't feel so stifle-y.
  
It was 91 deg. when I got home about 12.30PM, but it has gone up to 96 deg. now, with 40% humidity, so that's not bad for an August day.

3 comments:

pidge said...

Another great post. I got my eggs out and checked them right away. Where is the best place to buy organic eggs?

Gypsy said...

I also eat eggs whenever I want to and don't worry because they are cage free organic eggs from a farm in California. They aren't shipped half way across the country, so they are bound to be fresher. I don't care what the cost is, I would never buy anything else.

LakeConroePenny,TX said...

Thank you both for your comments.

Pidge, I get mine from the local grocery store, Kroger's. They are in a separate place from the regular eggs in the health food cooler.

I know that eggs stay good after the 'sell by' date, so I try to find the almost outdated boxes that are on sale.

Did you see in the above article that some of the eggs that are in the recall were laid all the way back in May?

Also that Wright County Egg Co. has 7-1/2 MILLION caged chickens. How about that for a nice life!!

We had a pet chicken, and they know when they are are miserable.