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Why Most Countries Don’t Refrigerate Eggs


Aquaponicsman

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If you’ve never traveled outside the country, you might think that it’s normal to refrigerate eggs. Although that *is* true in America, in a lot of other places, this is not the norm. Europeans, for example, don’t bother with refrigeration of eggs. Instead of keeping them near the dairy products like we do in America, eggs end up being placed near nonperishable foods. This likely dispels the myth that eggs absolutely have to be refrigerated in order to be kept fresh; this is not the case, and in America, we do it that way because of differences in egg production.

 

One part of egg processing in America is washing the eggs. Specifically, they’re sprayed with a chemical sanitizer to disinfect them. This is supposed to reduce the risk of salmonella infection. Conversely, in the UK, eggs aren’t washed. The reasoning is that the process of washing might actually serve to transfer harmful bacteria, salmonella included, from the shell of the egg to its precious contents inside. Because of these differences, eggs sold in the US could not be sold in the UK. The reverse is also true; both sets of eggs fail to meet the standards of the other region.

Salmonella

Salmonella

 

Salmonella poses a risk to health. In regards to hens, it can infect the egg supply in two ways. If the hen itself is infected, then the bacteria can make it into the egg as it is being formed. However, salmonella can also reach the eggshell after laying; this happens if the egg comes in contact with the hen’s feces. In the US, this is not entirely uncommon due to the farming techniques. Lots of hens are crammed into a small space, which generates a higher egg yield for a given amount of land, but causing an infection-prone environment.

Among causes of food poisoning, salmonella is a big one for the United States. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration believes that on a yearly basis, about 150,000 people are stricken with salmonella. While common, one might argue salmonella is not a significant health concern, even without treatment. While it is true that Salmonella is rarely deadly, it can result in a number of distressing digestive symptoms- diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and vomiting. If not treated promptly, sometimes it can end up spreading to other parts of the body or becoming typhoid fever, both of which can quickly prove fatal.

How the US Handles Salmonella

food safety

Because of these farming techniques, it is imperative to wash the eggs very quickly after they have been laid. This is accomplished with a conveyor belt washing system, where the eggs are sprayed. However, there is some risk here, as well: due to the way that bacteria can breed in moisture, bacteria on a wet egg can actually breed and perhaps penetrate the shell. Therefore, the eggs must be washed very carefully at a temperature of at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit; this is to control the contraction of egg contents, which left unchecked, might draw contaminated water into the egg.

 

 

How the UK Handles Salmonella

Safe Food

Instead of approaching egg hygiene from the back end, so to speak, in the UK, the focus is on collecting clean eggs, rather than trying to disinfect them after the fact. This is much more realistic for the UK because of the way that they rear their eggs (a free-range system) rather than the space-saving mass henhouse method of the US. There are a number of potential benefits that come with not washing the eggs. For starters, it creates a standard of quality rearing practices on the part of farmers. Also, there’s potential for damage caused by the washing.

Compared to the sanitation methods in the US, there is one other significant difference between the way the UK handles the threat of salmonella. In 1997, it became law in the UK that young hens that would become egg layers were required to be vaccinated against salmonella. This mandate came in response to a huge outbreak of salmonella in Britain, and it has been a monumental success in decreasing the number of salmonella cases. As a result, the threat of salmonella simply isn’t as large of a threat in the UK anymore, which is not the case in the US.

 

Vaccinations vs Refrigeration?

Refrigeration

In spite of this massive success in the UK, there is no hurry to make a similar nationwide mandate in the US. This may be because of the fact that salmonella is only rarely serious, and that current protections do the job often enough. This seems to be the case according to The New York Times, certainly. Regular testing exists to ensure that hens are not infected with salmonella,  while sanitary codes are enforced in the housing and processing of hens and their eggs. Additionally, there is the refrigeration aspect. That being said, some eggs producers do vaccinate their hens.

Related: 10 Dirtiest Foods You’re Eating

Vaccination for hens would help more than just eggs; since chicken is a popular staple food of America, it makes sense to ensure that there is no bacteria lingering on it when it is put out for sale. Proper cooking techniques should solve the problem, but maybe the UK is on to something; it’s better to start with a cleaner product than to have to clean it up after the fact. That would decrease healthcare costs, and likely, the number of visits. However, it does not seem that the FDA will be mandating the vaccination of chickens anytime soon.

Final Word

refrigeration

In the US egg market, refrigeration serves as a tool to keep eggs fresh and prevent the spread of bacteria like salmonella. While these methods are reasonably effective, there has been a marked decline of foodborne illness in Europe as a result of vaccination and other sanitation practices. If you are concerned about the eggs you eat, consider buying local, if you can. Perhaps even visit a local farm to ask if the farmers vaccinate for salmonella or other diseases. Otherwise, proper storage, cleaning, and cooking of eggs will go a long way in keeping them fresh and salmonella free.

 

 

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Do us a favour, please, and when you have an interesting website, in your post describe why you think we might like it and then give us a link. NOT the whole thing. That is detrimental to the storage system of this board, and is unnecessary in other ways, for example: we all come across dozens of websites every day that are interesting, and we don't need them reproduced here.

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For total safety with eggs,. purchase them pasteurized. Then they are safe to use them raw for eggnog, mayonnaise, Caesar  salad, etc. They are easily identified:

th?id=OIP.tCYDcKrO7BlHBSYqCI03BwHaC-&w=2\

If you can't find them, do it yourself. One hour in water at 130° F. The eggs do not cook in any way, but the pathogens are killed. If you have a sous-vide water bath, it is super simple.

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