Sometimes, a bacterium called Salmonella enteriditis (SE) is present in eggs. When holiday favorites, such as cookie dough or home-made eggnog and others with stuffing that require raw or undercooked eggs are made from these eggs and eaten, illness may result.. The FDA (The U. S. Food and Drug Administration) warns consumers to be aware of these bacteria and follow food safety practices to avoid egg-related illness.
A national survey of food safety practices conducted by FDA, the 2006 FDA/FSIS Food Safety Survey, finds that cookie dough is one of the common sources of raw egg in the American diet and only 3 % of consumers use a food thermometer when they cook baked egg dishes, like stuffing.The FDA advocates the following practices to avoid egg-related illness –
•Avoid eating unbaked cookie dough.
•Baked egg- dishes should be cooked to160 degrees F.
•Use eggs that have been treated to destroy Salmonella for making recipes that require raw or undercooked eggs, like eggnog.
About 118,000 cases of egg consumption contaminated with SE are reported per year.
FDA insists that the following statement be pasted on packages of fresh eggs that have not been treated to destroy Salmonella:-
Safe Handling Instructions: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly.
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•young children
•the elderly
•persons with weakened immune systems (like those affected by AIDS, cancer, diabetes or steroid use) or persons undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy for cancer
•persons recouping from organ transplantation.
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