On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 11:11:36 +0100, "Darkginger" <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:This question is prompted by the other thread about not
have egg 'spots' in a fridge. It occured to me that I never
refrigerate eggs (I live in a temperate climate - ie,
Ireland, and my eggs come from my own hens). Can't say I've
ever (even before I 'grew' my own) had an egg that went
off, and I'm sure I've read somewhere (no idea where,
however) that it isn't necessary to refrigerate eggs. Is
this right, or do those of you who live in places somewhat
warmer than this have experiences that suggest eggs should
always be refrigerated?
*Every year, people get ill from salmonella. Generally
speaking, salmonella is not a huge problem for healthy adult
individuals, but young children and the elderly don't have
the robust defenses to fight off a little salmonella. It is
possible to die from salmonella.
From www.mmhs.com/clinical/adult/english/infectious/salmone-
l.htm: "Salmonella infections are diarrheal infections
caused by the bacteria Salmonella. The Salmonella germ is
actually a group of bacteria that can cause diarrheal
illness in humans. There are many different kinds of
Salmonella bacteria.
Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods
contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods are often
animal in origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs.
However, all foods, including vegetables, can become
contaminated."
One of the "problems" with eggs is how close they are to the
chicken's bum and feces. So, if you have an infected flock,
the surface of the eggs may have salmonella on them. If the
eggs are poorly handled (get cracked a little, not kept
refrigerated, not rinsed off before use, or used raw in
products that sit out on a table for a period of time) the
bacteria can grow. When you eat a food that has living
bacteria in it, then you can become infected.
One of the reasons for the precautions is the mass-produced
nature of our egg and chicken markets means that there's a
certain amount of disease in our flocks that, in general,
aren't found/tolerated (depending on what side of the "food
industry cleanliness argument you're on) in European and
small, private flocks.
So in the US, all eggs get treated like they're tainted,
though from what I've heard from sources I generally
consider relatively reliable, the risk of having a tainted
egg is very small. It's just a risk that companies aren't
willing to take because if they did, and someone got sick,
they'd be sued.
* From the CDC fact sheet about Salmonellosis:
Every year, approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are
reported in the United States. Because many milder cases are
not diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections
may be thirty or more times greater. Salmonellosis is more
common in the summer than winter. Children are the most
likely to get salmonellosis. Young children, the elderly,
and the immunocompromised are the most likely to have severe
infections. It is estimated that approximately 600 persons
die each year with acute salmonellosis.
--
Siobhan Perricone "This isn't right. This isn't even wrong."
- Wolfgang Pauli, on a paper submitted by a physicist
colleague
