Don't be a bad egg
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Although no
eggs sold in eastern Connecticut appear to have been affected with a
large-scale salmonella outbreak, it’s always a good idea to take precautions
when handling food. Nationwide, more than 1,000 people have become sick after
eating contaminated eggs — making this the largest salmonella outbreak ever
recorded in the U.S.
We asked Whitney Bundy, Director of Food and Nutrition at The William W. Backus Hospital, to answer some of our questions about food poisoning and to offer some safe food-handling tips:
Q: What is salmonella?
A: Salmonella are bacteria that can live in the intestinal tracts of some animals and humans. Any raw food that comes from animals — and that is a lot of what food: meat, poultry or poultry products (eggs), milk, seafood — can carry salmonella bacteria. Some fruits and vegetables can, too.
Q: What’s the safest way to avoid being affected by salmonella?
A: Avoid eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry or eggs, and unpasteurized dairy products.
Q: Raw eggs sound gross. Who would use them?
A: Raw eggs are used in some salad dressings, custards, mayonnaise and cookie doughs.
Q: Is there a way to avoid salmonella if you do make something with raw eggs?
A: You can’t tell by looking at raw eggs if they are infected with salmonella. In fact, foods contaminated with this bacteria usually look and smell normal. It’s best to always cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. Don’t use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked.
Q: Is there something special about eggs? Hasn’t salmonella also been linked to peanut butter?
A: There is nothing special about eggs. Many food products, including vegetables, can contain salmonella. A previous outbreak with peanuts killed nine and made about 700 people sick.
Q: Do you have any other food safety advice?
A: The most important advice is worth repeating: Always wash your hands before preparing food.
Also, be sure to clean your countertops and other surfaces often. Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in your grocery shopping cart and in your refrigerator. Use one cutting board for raw meat and another for vegetables or other products.
Always cook food to the proper temperature to kill any potential bacteria. That means steaks to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit; poultry to 180 degrees; hamburger to 160 degrees. Especially this time of year, refrigerate perishables quickly, and don’t defrost food at room temperature.
Q: Do you have any good websites for people to get more information from?
A: The FDA has an updated list of recalled eggs on its website: www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/shelleggsrecall