Steps to ensure Egg
Safety
• Salmonella bacterium can grow inside fresh
unbroken eggs. Most eggs are contaminated before
the shells form so washing alone (the exterior)
will not guarantee safety. Eggs come washed anyway.
• Always use eggs before the sell-by-date
marked on the carton. Eggs stay fresh for about
3-5 weeks in the refrigerator i.e. if you have
not crossed the expiry date. Store eggs properly
in the fridge, ideally not in the egg shelf on
the fridge door since there is too much temperature
fluctuation. It is best to store them in the original
carton you bought them in.
• Eggs are porous, another reason why they
should be stored in egg cartons so that other
odors do not penetrate the eggs.
• A health egg when cracked will have no
foul smell, the egg white is gel- like, opaque
and not watery, and a healthy egg yolk is firm
and not runny.
• Do not leave cooked eggs, even hard boiled
ones, at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
It is best to eat them immediately after cooking.
Hard boiled eggs (unpeeled) can be stored in the
fridge for up to one week.
• Don’t use eggs that are cracked even if
it cracks on your way home. Bacteria enter easily
and quickly.
• Thorough cooking destroys salmonella i.e.
eggs should be cooked until both the yellow and
whites are firm and not runny.
• Avoid using recipes in which eggs remain
raw or are only partially cooked. For instance
do not use raw eggs in salad dressings, sauces
or whipped up desserts such as mousse.
• Avoid homemade foods that contain raw
or partially cooked eggs like mayonnaise, cake
batter, eggnog etc. The commercial versions e.g.
bought mayonnaise are safer in comparison because
of the pasteurized eggs used (check the label
to confirm). If you need to make something that
requires raw eggs use pasteurized egg products
available in supermarkets in place of raw eggs.
Pasteurization is a process which heats the eggs
and kills the bacteria
• Free range, organic, omega 3 enriched
eggs are the best choice if your budget allows
you. They are a safer bet since the eggs come
from animals that are not treated with growth
hormones or antibiotics.
