Frequently Asked Questions About Egg Food Safety
What
does the date on the egg carton mean?
How
long are eggs safe to eat after purchase?
How
long are eggs that have been refrigerated, safe to eat?
How
long are hard cooked eggs that have been refrigerated, safe
to eat?
How does Salmonella infect eggs?
What is pooling and why is it not
recommended?
How should eggs be refrigerated?
I just realized I left the egg carton
on the kitchen
counter overnight. Are the eggs safe to use?
What is an adequate temperature to cook an
egg?
Can shell eggs be pasteurized or irradiated
to destroy Salmonella?
Are egg products pasteurized?
What should you consider when purchasing
eggs?
Is the appearance of an egg related to food
safety?
How is the egg industry working to promote
egg safety?
What
does the date on the egg carton mean?
Egg
cartons with the USDA grademark must display a “Julian
date”*, the date the eggs were packed. Although not
required, they may also carry an expiration date beyond
which the eggs should not be sold, but are still safe to
eat. On cartons with the USDA grademark, this date can not
exceed 30 days after the eggs were packed in the carton.
Depending on the retailer, the expiration date may be
less than 30 days. Eggs packed in cartons without the USDA
grademark are governed by the laws of their states.
*Julian
date: usually on the short side of the carton, represents
the consecutive days of the year with the number 001 as
January 1 and December 31 as 365.
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How
long are eggs safe to eat after purchase?
Fresh
shell eggs can be stored in their cartons in the
refrigerator for four to five weeks beyond the carton’s
Julian date with minor loss of quality. Once an egg begins
to age, it loses moisture through its porous shell and
begins to dry. The membranes that hold the egg structure
begin to loosen and the yolk may not be anchored in the
center of the white once the egg is broken. An older egg
would be most appropriate for a mixed dish, a batter or a
hard cooked egg which should be easier to peel than a
freshly laid egg.
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How
long are eggs that have been refrigerated, safe to eat?
Raw
eggs maintain their freshness for 4-5 weeks after purchase
if kept refrigerated continuously.
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How
long are hard cooked eggs that have been refrigerated, safe
to eat?
A
hard cooked egg can safely be refrigerated for up to one
week.
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How
does Salmonella infect eggs?
Salmonella bacteria are found in the intestinal tracts of animals, birds, reptiles,
insects and humans. Salmonella
may be found on the outside of the egg shell before the egg is washed or it
may be found inside the egg if the hen was infected. It
is estimated that one egg in 20,000 eggs may contain Salmonella which is a 0.005%
contamination rate. Eggs contain natural antimicrobial substances in the egg
white, and all eggs are washed and sanitized before they are packed. Egg recipes
properly prepared in individual servings and promptly eaten are rarely a problem.
Inadequate
refrigeration, improper handling and insufficient cooking are all factors that
have contributed to disease outbreaks. Salmonella
is destroyed by heat. Eggs that
have been handled and cooked properly should not cause human illness.
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What
is pooling and why is it not recommended?
The pooling of eggs, which is a common practice where eggs are broken out of
their shell, mixing egg white and yolk, then held together in large quantities. This
practice removes the egg's natural barriers and creates a nutrient rich medium
that is ideal for bacterial growth. Lack of washing hands and cutting boards
with warm soapy water is another contributing factor in approximately one third
of the U.S. food borne illness outbreaks reported by the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
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How
should eggs be refrigerated?
Refrigerate raw shell eggs in their cartons on the
middle or lower inside shelf, not on the door, and away
from any meat that might drip juices or any raw produce
that might contact eggshells. Cover or wrap well any egg
mixtures or leftover cooked egg dishes. For all perishable
foods, including eggs and egg containing dishes, allow
no more than 2 hours at room temperature for preparation
and serving, 30 minutes to 1 hour when it's 85°F or
hotter without refrigeration.
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I just realized I left the egg carton on the kitchen
counter overnight. Are
the eggs safe to use?
The general rule is that if food items are at room
temperature for more than 2 hours, the safest thing to
do is to discard the product. If
you leave eggs anywhere that is not refrigerated, the best
thing to do is throw those eggs away and buy a new carton.
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What
is an adequate temperature to cook an egg?
Egg white coagulates between 144 and 149°F,
egg yolk coagulates between 149 and 158°F and whole
eggs between 144 and 158°F. Plain whole eggs without
added ingredients are pasteurized but not cooked by bringing
them to 140°F and maintaining that temperature for
3 and 1/2 minutes. According
to the FDA Food Code, eggs for immediate consumption can
be cooked to 145°F for 15 seconds.
If the eggs are to be used in a recipe
with other food items, dilute the eggs with with liquid
or other ingredients, such as milk, or sugar (at least ¼ cup
liquid or sugar per egg as in custard) and cook the egg
mixture to 160°F, which will destroy harmful bacteria
in a few seconds. Adequate cooking brings eggs and other
foods to a temperature high enough to destroy bacteria
that might be present.
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Can
shell eggs be pasteurized or irradiated to destroy Salmonella?
A processor can pasteurize shell eggs if FDA has
approved the process. Pasteurized
shell eggs are available in some areas in the U.S. Shell
eggs have recently been approved for irradiation by the
US Food and Drug Administration but are not yet available.
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Are
egg products pasteurized?
All egg products are required by law to be
pasteurized. Approximately one third of all eggs produced in the US
today are broken and further processed to make egg products
which are sold as retail or foodservice items or ingredients
for commercial food manufacturers. These may be whole liquid
egg, egg whites, or egg yolks, and may be liquid, frozen
or dried. The
safety of egg products is regulated by the Food Safety
Inspection Service of the USDA and is ensured by mandatory
pasteurization to destroy potentially harmful pathogens.
Egg products are readily available for food service
facilities to use and offer a convenient alternative to
using raw shell eggs when large quantities are needed.
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What
should you consider when purchasing eggs?
Always buy eggs from a refrigerated case. Choose
eggs with clean, uncracked shells. Don't buy out of date
eggs. The USDA
grade shield on the carton means that the eggs were graded
for quality and checked for weight under the supervision
of a trained USDA grader. State
agencies monitor compliance for egg packers who do not
use the USDA grading service.
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Is
the appearance of an egg related to food safety?
Variation in egg color is due to many factors. A
cloudy white is a sign that the egg is very fresh. A clear
egg white is an indication that the egg is aging. Pink
or iridescent egg white indicates spoilage and should not
be consumed. A
rupture of one or more small blood vessels in the yolk
may cause blood spots at the time of ovulation. It does
not indicate the egg is unsafe to eat. The
color of the yolk varies in shades of yellow depending
upon the diet of the hen. If
she eats plenty of yellow/orange plants the yolk with be
a darker yellow than if she eats white cornmeal, a colorless
diet. A green ring on a hard cooked yolk is result of overcooking
and is caused by sulfur and iron compounds in the egg reacting
on the yolk's surface. The green color can also be caused
by a high amount of iron in the cooking water. Scrambled
eggs held too long on a steam table or at too high a temperature
can also develop a green tint. The
green color is safe to eat.
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How
is the egg industry working to promote egg safety?
Egg industry programs start by keeping breeder flocks
Salmonella free. The National Poultry Improvement Plan,
a joint program between the industry and the US Department
of Agriculture, is a model program for preventing breeder
stock infection.
Ongoing research projects are dedicated
to discovering how Salmonella gets into flocks and how
it might be blocked.
A number of farm level programs such
as the United Egg Producer's 5 Star program, apply quality
control measures and sanitation procedures all through
the production, processing and preparation phases, including
testing chicks to confirm their cleanliness and Salmonella
free status. By holding eggs at cool temperatures (45°F)
during production and transportation stages, producers
help to ensure that any Salmonella present will not multiply
and less bacteria will be available to spread or risk infecting
the consumer.
The American Egg Board and the Egg
Nutrition Center are members of the Partnership for Food
Safety Education www.fightbac.org,
a unique industry and government coalition whose purpose
is to reduce foodborne illness by educating the public
about safe food handling practices.
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