Category Archives: Salmonella in Eggs

Food Safety News

Two people in the Netherlands have been accused of knowingly selling eggs contaminated with Salmonella.

The case at Zwolle District Court covers events in 2017 and involves the duo, who were owner and manager of a farm at the time.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) believes Salmonella findings were hidden for financial reasons. The defendants deny knowing about the contamination.

Feedstuffs

USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation have announced the completion of a funded research project at Cargill Inc., in which researchers evaluated egg wash sanitizers to reduce Salmonella contamination on and in turkey eggs. The research was made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Cargill and proceeds from the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE).

According to the research summary, Salmonella remains the number one cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., which causes an economic burden for the poultry industry as well as public concern for the consumers. As such, the poultry industry must be diligent during processing to reduce Salmonella risk, including interventions for hatch eggs.

Dr. Ted Brown and colleagues at Cargill, Inc. recently completed a research project that evaluated sanitizers with thymol, peracetic acid (PAA), bromine, peroxide, chlorine and quaternary ammonium. The peroxide product proved to be the most effective egg sanitizer at reducing Salmonella prevalence on the egg surface by more than 73%. None of the sanitizers tested in the trial caused damage to the cuticle, and Salmonella did not penetrate the egg.

Food Safety News

Norway is hoping for an exemption to European rules on shelf-life labeling of eggs, partly because of its good Salmonella record.

In December 2022, an EU regulation entered into force that extended the period eggs can be sold to the consumer to 28 days after laying by hens. However, another change moved a provision on the best-before date for table eggs to hygiene regulations, which are part of the EEA agreement. Norway is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) but is not an EU member state. As the rule didn’t previously cover Norway, the country uses an egg shelf life of 35 days after laying.

Two ministries in Norway believe the 28-day maximum shelf life rule is justified for public health reasons in many EU member states due to the occurrence of Salmonella in eggs. However, in Norway, there is a very low incidence of Salmonella in eggs.