Here are some things that we’ve learned about eggs, thanks to the massive recall shining a light on the situation:
Prior to July 9 of this year, when new egg safety rules went into place, the USDA oversaw eggs once out of the shell and processed in liquid form. The FDA oversaw the freshness and thickness of eggs while in the shell to determine what quality grade they should be assigned. No one had the legal authority to regulate eggs still in their shells for human consumption.
More than 2,000 cases of salmonella were reported in a three-month period. This is three times the normal rate, meaning that there are usually 667 cases. Before the inception of large factory chicken farms in the ‘80s, the United States didn’t have salmonella outbreaks.
Although the contaminated eggs currently being produced by Wright County Egg Co. and Hillandale Farms of Iowa will not be sold in the shell, they will be processed and pasteurized for use in other food products.
Since harmful bacteria will still make its way into eggs from large-scale suppliers, consumers are being advised to always prepare eggs well done. No more meringues, “sunny-side-up” or salad dressings that incorporate uncooked eggs.
Wright County Eggs’ owner, Jack DeCoster, has been fined many times by both federal and state regulators for environmental, immigration and labor violationsevidence of a track record of breaking the law and the unscrupulous behavior of waiting for illness or an audit to clean up his act.
The suspected source of salmonella is contaminated chicken feed, fecal matter from infected rodents in the coops, or diseased chicks from the hatchery.
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Does it really matter which one ends up being the culprit?! The fact that all of these components are suspect is disturbing proof of an unsanitary system. Although the implementation of new food safety rules controlling salmonella infestation is a good start to reigning in an industry that has been running amok, it will obviously only scratch the surface. Two giant egg companies remain in business with cruel and unsanitary factory conditions and no concern for their employees’ or customers’ health and well-being, much less their hens’. (Watch the documentary, Food, Inc., for a visual that will drive these points home.)
As with all other food recalls, most people will forget about this in a couple of weeks and go back to buying convenient, cheap eggs and irresponsible producers will continue to profit off of the people that they made ill. It raises the question: will our society ever be able to get back to a place where public health takes precedence over profit, allowing quality to reign over quantity?
