Breaking Down the Egg Safety Rule: Diversion of eggs from the table egg market

| Industry 101

The main goal of the FDA Egg Safety Rule is to reduce the number of human Salmonella Enteritidis infections from eggs. The required preventative measures discussed in the last few blogs do just that—reduce and/or prevent the transmission of SE onto the farm and therefore significantly lowering the risk foodborne illness from contaminated eggs.

The Egg Safety Rule also requires testing of the poultry house environment to establish the effectiveness of the required SE preventative measures—chick procurement, biosecurity, pest control, and cleaning and disinfection—and to gain information on the SE status of the farm. Testing of the environment takes place at three periods during the laying hen’s life cycle-14-16 weeks, 40-45 weeks, and 4-6 weeks after molting. These periods signify the times during the life cycle that, if present in the bird, SE will be shed at the highest concentration in the environment.

If any samples are found positive during environmental testing, egg producers are required to do additional testing and take immediate action to assure that SE contaminated eggs do not reach consumers. Egg testing takes place over eight weeks to ensure eggs produced are negative for SE. Once the eggs are deemed safe for consumption, they are directed back into the market.

Egg producers continue to work hard to ensure proper implementation of the Egg Safety Rule and other food safety practices to ensure consumers are receiving a safe, high quality product!
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Breaking Down the Egg Safety Rule: Cleaning, Disinfection and Refrigeration

| Industry 101

When developing the final rule to prevent contamination of shell eggs with Salmonella Enteritidis, FDA recognized that cleaning and disinfection of poultry houses as well as refrigeration of eggs were two ways to control growth of SE, if it is present, in the farm environment and the egg itself.

While poultry houses are kept quite clean, feathers, dust and feed can fall to the floor of the houses. Cleaning and disinfection of the houses reduces the level of bacteria in the environment and can help decrease the risk of SE transmission. Cleaning before disinfection is essential, as it removes organic matter (dust, manure, spilled feed, and/or egg shells) and exposes the bacteria to the disinfectant so that it can be killed. Disinfectants are chemical that have the ability to kill bacteria on contact. By cleaning and disinfecting the poultry houses, egg producers are killing bacteria present in the environment and reducing the potential for the hens to become contaminated.

If the SE is present in the environment, the laying hen can become contaminated. If the hen contracts SE it can, very rarely, pass it on to the egg, living in the egg white and yolk. If SE is present inside the egg, prompt refrigeration after lay at or below and ambient (air) temperature of 45 °F significantly limits the growth of SE and lessens the potential for human illness.   To ensure eggs are being held at the proper temperature, egg producers monitor daily coolers where the eggs are stored and the vehicles that transport them to the processing plant and stores after processing.

 
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Breaking Down the Egg Safety Rule: Biosecurity and Pest Control Programs

| Industry 101

In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule that set out several measures to be taken by egg producers to prevent the contamination of shell eggs with Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) during egg production. Two of the most important measures include biosecurity and pest control.

Biosecurity is a set of practices put in place to limit the spread of SE both onto and off of the poultry farm. SE can be introduced to a farm by humans through contaminated clothing and equipment as well as pests, including domestic and wild animals and insects. To limit or reduce the risk of SE introduction, the Egg Safety Rule requires egg producers to limit visitors, maintain practices that protect against cross contamination between farms and between poultry houses, prevent stray poultry, wild birds, cats, and other animals from entering poultry houses, and not allow employees to keep birds at home.

Pests, especially rodents and flies, are significant source for SE transmission. The Egg Safety Rule requires monitoring and measuring pest activity helps determine if the pest population is being controlled, and if not, calls for the egg producer to take action to reduce the population. Rodent and fly populations can be controlled by picking up debris and maintaining vegetation around the house, cleaning up any spilled feed that could attract pests, and keeping places that house these pests, like a chicken house or storage shed, free of holes, dry, and well-ventilated.

 
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Breaking Down the Egg Safety Rule: Introduction and Chick Procurement

| Industry 101

In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule that set out several measures to be taken by egg producers to prevent the contamination of shell eggs with Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) during egg production. These measures include

• Procurement of “SE Clean” chicks
• Implementation of biosecurity and pest control programs
• Environmental and egg testing
• Refrigeration of eggs at the farm and during transport to a processing facility
• Diversion of eggs from the table egg market from flocks in which SE has been detected.

The Egg Safety Rule was finalized in July 2009, with implementation taking effect July 9, 2010 for most commercial U.S. egg producers. One of the most important measures set by the Egg Safety Rule is the procurement of “SE Clean” chicks. SE has been found to be transmitted from hen to chick, living in the intestines and reproductive tract. Assuring that “SE Clean” chicks are placed in the laying house greatly reduces the chance that SE will be passed into the egg.

The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) assures the “SE Clean” status of chicks and is managed by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) and 48 Official State Agencies Industry. State and federal agencies established standards for evaluating poultry parent flocks and hatcheries to ensure chicks are free of diseases that could be transmitted through the egg or to the chick from the hatchery environment. Through these standards, the NPIP provides certification that poultry destined for interstate and international shipment are free of all diseases covered under the program. The Egg Safety Rule requires that egg producers purchase chicks from parent flocks that are certified NPIP “SE Clean”.

Krista Eberle
Director of Food Safety Programs
United Egg Producers

 
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