Egg Industry Responds with Action

For almost two decades, the egg industry has been actively working to address the problem with Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs.  Egg producers are working to minimize the incidence of SE in eggs and therefore helping to reduce illnesses caused by eggs.  Based on illness statistics from the CDC, progress has been made and illnesses due to SE have decreased dramatically since 1996.

QA Programs
Quality assurance (QA) programs introduced over the past decade are one example of the industry's commitment to address the problem.  Many states have voluntary QA programs that producers have implemented and the United Egg Producers has a "5 Star Program".  These programs are comprehensive in scope and address issues such as proper egg washing, rodent and pest control at the farm, and refrigeration of eggs.  The egg industry is also working on new programs such as the Safe Quality Food (SQF) program to ensure that egg producers can provide safe, high quality eggs for consumers.

Refrigeration and Labeling
The industry worked with the FDA to implement a refrigeration rule for eggs sold at retail stores.  The regulation went into effect in June of 2001. Most eggs were already being refrigerated, however this rule made refrigeration mandatory. The industry also worked with the FDA to put safe handling instructions on all egg cartons. The statement on cartons reads:    

SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: 

To prevent illness from bacteria: 
keep eggs refrigerated,
cook eggs until yolks are firm,
and cook food containing eggs thoroughly. 

Educational Information
The industry provides educational information to consumers and foodservice personnel through the American Egg Board, and to health care professionals through the Egg Safety Center. The American Egg Board is a founding member of the Partnership for Food Safety Education and is dedicated to educating consumers on proper food handling to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness.

Research
The egg industry sponsors research to study ways to prevent SE in eggs. Research studies have focused on using vaccines to prevent hens from becoming infected with SE, and evaluating refrigeration of eggs and measuring typical temperatures of eggs and predicting SE growth. 

The goal of the egg industry is to eliminate the incidence of SE in eggs and to prevent human illnesses from eggs.  They are working very hard to achieve that goal.

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