Eggs and Salmonella

Is Your Egg Safe?

Salmonella is a hot topic right now, but do you know how to best protect yourself? First you must have an understanding of where salmonella bacteria come from and how eggs are infected.

There are over 2000 subtypes of salmonella, the one that affects eggs and chickens is salmonella enteritidis (SE). The SE bacteria lives in the gut of chickens, turkeys, ducks, wild birds and rodents, it is transmitted to humans via contaminated foods of animal origin.

The outside of an egg can get contaminated by feces and dirt. The bacteria can spread to animals through contaminated water and food, from chicken to chicken and from contact with wild birds and rodents.

Stringent procedures for cleaning and inspecting eggs were implemented in the 1970s and have made salmonellosis caused by external fecal contamination of egg shells extremely rare. However, unlike egg borne salmonellosis of past decades, the current epidemic is due to intact and disinfected grade A eggs. The reason for this is that Salmonella enteritidis silently infects the ovaries of healthy appearing hens and contaminates the eggs before the shells are formed.

So what can you, the consumer do to protect yourself? Cooking eggs thoroughly will kill the SE bacteria, but there are other things that you can do to reduce your chances of getting infected.
Because eggs that are infected can not be easily identified, it is wise to buy the potentially cleanest eggs possible. 
 
Commercial egg producers typically keep the chickens in cages with very little space to move which increases the likelihood of disease transmission.

Cage Free eggs are not much better, the hens are kept in chicken houses with no windows and no access to the outdoors, they are not in cages but are loose on the ground of the house but still in very tight quarters.

Free Range chickens should mean that the hens have access to the outdoors, but the US does not have clear regulations on the term Free Range and it is often interchanged with the term Cage Free.

Free Range Cage Free hens

Organic Eggs limit the chance of salmonella contamination in the chicken feed as animal byproducts are prohibited in organic feed. The label Organic also ensures adherence to more stringent animal welfare standards.

Pastured Eggs come from the healthiest hens. Hens that spend their days outdoors, foraging and living the most natural lifestyle have the strongest immunity and are naturally less likely to be infected.

Pastured Egg Laying Hens

There are ways to avoid salmonellosis, avoid buying commercial eggs. Support sustainable agriculture by buying Pastured eggs. To find Pastured eggs in your area Click Here