Chicago Company Offers Up Solution to ‘Dirty’ Eggs Dilemma: Go Pasteurized to Avoid Food-Borne Illness

LANSING, Ill., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ — No one intends or wants to eat a “dirty” food but that’s just what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Science in the Public Interest has labeled eggs, one of the country’s most popular foods, this week. In fact, eggs were ranked number two on the list of so-called “dirty” foods.

However, egg safety leader National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc., (NPE) is encouraging consumers to simply do what they do when they choose safe milk, juice or cheese: choose pasteurized for safety. To help educate and restore confidence in eggs, NPE is now offering recipes, food safety tips and coupons for pasteurized eggs at www.safeeggs.com.

“Let’s be realistic; Americans are not going to stop eating eggs, however it is important that they understand salmonella is dangerous and is not something to be taken lightly,” said Greg West, president of NPE. “Unfortunately, there is also a need for better understanding as to what degree of cooking safely kills the salmonella bacteria. Unless the eggs are pasteurized first, many of our favorite styles of eggs and dishes containing eggs remain a risk.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 200,000 Americans are sickened from eggs each year, with many illnesses misdiagnosed or unreported. Pregnant women, children, seniors and individuals with weak immune systems are at risk for long-term health issues. The FDA has warning statements on egg cartons advising consumers to cook eggs until yolks and whites are hard, not runny but this warning does not apply to pasteurized eggs.

“Eggs are one of the most nutritious, cost effective foods available today and with today’s widespread availability of pasteurized shell eggs there is no reason consumers need to compromise their health and safety or avoid this great gold standard of nutrition,” West said. “Consumers need to make safe food choices to protect themselves and their families.”

Pasteurized shell eggs are a fairly new technology, and consumers are just now finding out about their great taste and safety value. They are marketed under the brand name Davidson’s Safest Choice and sold through numerous food safety conscious retailers around the country such as Jewel, Publix, Giant Eagle, Harris Teeter, Piggly Wiggly, Bristol Farms and many more.

NPE’s process is a patented U.S. FDA approved pasteurization process recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to inactivate the Salmonella and avian influenza virus.

NPE offers both pasteurized shell eggs and cage-free pasteurized shell eggs to retailers and foodservice operators. West added that NPE’s eggs have a great taste because the flavor is no longer diminished by bacteria growth inside the egg.

For more information, visit www.safeeggs.com or call 708-418-8500. Follow NPE on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc.