Finally, An Egg Safety Rule

It’s been 20 years in the making, but the US now has an egg safety rule. It’s aimed at reducing the number of Salmonella enteritidis (SE) illnesses and deaths related to eating eggs. Some suppliers, such as those with less than 3,000 laying hens, are exempt from the rule.

The new FDA egg rule highlights for egg suppliers:

• Refrigerate held or transported shell eggs at or below 45 degrees °F beginning 36 hours after time of lay
• Maintain program to control rodents, flies and other pests
• Monitor a biosecurity program, including limiting visitors on the farm and in poultry houses and protecting against cross-contamination from one poultry house to another
• Buy chickens that are SE-monitored, or raise them under SE-monitored conditions

There’s much more to the rule. To read the complete egg rule, visit the FDA’s website. Many states already follow most aspects of the egg safety rule. It’s taken a very long time to formalize the rule, which is part of the Obama administration’s focus on food safety.

For consumer tips on purchasing and safely consuming eggs, visit the FDA’s egg safety page for consumers.

(Image via stock.xchng)