Eggs and Easter, April 18

Eggs are a potentially hazardous food, but there is no reason consumers can’t enjoy them safely this Easter holiday season. Like other perishable food items, all it takes is a little common sense when it comes to handling, preparing, and storing eggs.  While salmonella is the main culprit of egg safety, the high amount of protein and moisture associated with eggs leaves them vulnerable to other food pathogens. Cross contaminating an egg mixture can be hazardous simply because the egg can support rapid growth of other bacteria.  Eggs should be kept in refrigeration that is 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. It’s best to consume eggs within five weeks if they remain raw, although any problems are most likely to be with the quality of the egg, not food safety-related. Leaving the eggs in the carton may allow them to last longer.  The safest option for Easter egg hunts is to use plastic eggs.  Oregon is a significant producer of eggs, which is ranked 12th in production value among all Oregon agricultural commodities. The $65 million industry ensures a fresh product as more than 694 million eggs were produced in Oregon in 2012– the most recent year in which statistics are available. The state’s 2.2 million egg-laying hens are concentrated in a handful of major commercial producers.