Egg Nutrients Eggs are incredible when it comes to nutrition. Eggs are all-natural, and one egg has lots of vitamins and minerals—all for 70 calories. The nutrients in eggs can play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more. At less than 15 cents apiece, eggs are an affordable and delicious breakfast option. The protein in eggs is the highest-quality protein found in any food. The high-quality protein in eggs provides the energy families need to perform their best on important days. Nutrient-rich, all-natural eggs are a welcome addition to any diet. The nutrient package of eggs aids in the following: Weight management: The high-quality protein in eggs helps you to feel fuller longer and stay energized, which contributes to maintaining a healthy weight. (1) Muscle strength and muscle-loss prevention: Research indicates that high-quality protein may help active adults build muscle strength and help prevent muscle loss in middle-aged and aging adults. (2) Healthy pregnancy: Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects. Two eggs provide about 250 milligrams of choline, or roughly half of the recommended daily intake for pregnant and breastfeeding women. (3) Brain function: Choline also aids the brain function of adults by maintaining the structure of brain cell membranes, and is a key component of the neuro-transmitter that helps relay messages from the brain through nerves to the muscles. (4) Eye health: Lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants found in egg yolks, help prevent macular degeneration, a leading cause of age-related blindness. Though eggs contain a small amount of these two nutrients, research shows that the lutein from eggs may be more bioavailable than lutein from other food sources. (5) REFERENCES Weigle DS, et al. 2005. A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr. 82:41-48. Evans WJ. 2004. Protein Nutrition, Exercise and Aging. J Am Coll Nutr. 23(6)601S-609S. Zeisel SH. Choline: Critical role during fetal development and dietary requirements in adults. Annu Rev Nutr, 2006; 26:229-50. Moeller SM, et al. 2000. The Potential Role of Dietary Xanthophylls in Cataract and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. J Am Coll Nutr. 19(5):522S-527S. Chung HY, et al. Lutein bioavailability is higher from lutein-enriched eggs than from supplements and spinach in men. J Nutr. 2004; 134:1887-1893

Eggs 101 – Egg Nutrition Basics Eggs are an all-natural source of high-quality protein and a number of other nutrients, all for 70 calories per large egg. Cost-effective and versatile, the unique nutritional composition of eggs can help meet a variety of nutrient needs of children through older adults. Plus, eggs can play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more. Take a look at some quick egg nutrition facts. Cardiometabolic Health Egg Allergies Eggs Across The Lifespan Nutrients In Eggs Nutritious Dietary Patterns Physical Performance Weight Management & Satiety Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction Why U.S. Eggs? From Atlanta to Dubai to Hong Kong, buyers know about the "egg-ceptional" qualities of U.S. eggs and egg products. Not only is the U.S. the world's second-largest egg-producing country, it also produces eggs of the highest quality in the world. The American egg industry maintains strict quality control and sanitation measures that are more stringent than is required by law. Immediately after they are laid, eggs are washed, sanitized, graded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and packed. After packing, U.S. eggs are refrigerated throughout the shipping and marketing process. As you see through this website, you can easily see why U.S. eggs rank among the highest in the world for distinguished quality and assured safety. U.S. Eggs: Distinguished Quality, Assured Safety Egg production is a prominent and vital segment of agriculture in the United States. American egg producers manage more than 276 million hens, each of which lays about 250 eggs per year. Of all eggs produced in the U.S., approximately 70% is marketed as shell eggs for home, institutional, and food service use. The remaining 30% is processed into a variety of different egg products to be used by food manufacturers and large food service operations worldwide.

Specialty Egg Products Diced Hard-cooked, Peeled Eggs Refrigerated in a dry-pack or cryogenically frozen through exposure to extremely low temperatures for a short time, e.g., nitrogen flushing. Used by salad bars in restaurants. Refrigerated Whole Hard-cooked, Peeled and Unpeeled Eggs, Plain or Pickled, Wedged, Sliced, or Chopped Mechanically or hand-peeled and either packed in a liquid solution of 0.1% sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate (mold inhibitors) and an organic acid (usually citric acid) or packaged in an altered environment with inert nitrogen to extend shelf life. Frozen Hard-cooked Egg Rolls or Long Eggs Long cylinders of albumen cooked around a core of yolk, then cryogenically frozen and used sliced, in salads and as garnishes. Frozen Omelets and Quiche Mixes Ready to heat and serve. Frozen Scrambled Egg Mix in Boliable Pouches These were originally developed by the military but are now convenient for the foodservice operator. Freeze-dried Precooked Scrambled Egg Mix Used by campers because they are easy to transport and store. Other Frozen Precooked Egg patties, fried eggs, crêpes, scrambled eggs, egg pizza, plain or filled omelets, French toast, quiches, and egg breakfast sandwiches. Ultra-pasteurized Pasteurized liquid egg aseptically packaged for extended refrigerated shelf life.

Sodium Reduction Egg products are naturally low in sodium and possess multifunctional components for foaming, binding and emulsifying, and other functions. Clean labels are dependent upon the ingredients. Egg products offer a clean label option and can help maintain product integrity and stability in a reduced sodium formulation. Egg products are capable of binding other ingredients, providing structure and stability and assisting with moisture migration while not conflicting with flavors of other ingredients. In fact, eggs have functional properties that do the job of many additives, yet naturally. Today's consumers, better educated and more label savvy, are avoiding additives and seeking more natural food alternatives. Custom blended egg products that include carbohydrates, gum, starches, sugar, and low levels of salt are available to meet manufacturers' specifications and improve functional performance. Egg products make so many food formulations great or better. The functional profile egg products provide is worth investigating to mine the possibilities for all the value they can provide to sodium reduced and other formulations. For information about health and nutrition topics, visit the Egg Nutrition Center at www.enc-online.org

Registered Dietitian/Nutrition Today’s retail environment is full of nutrition labels, claims, profiling systems and much more. Helping consumers navigate their way through grocery aisles is an important job, and according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, many Americans are overweight and undernourished. They get too many calories but not enough nutrients each day. The Guidelines further state that the prevalence of obesity in the United States has doubled and in some cases tripled between the 1970s and 2008. What's in an egg? The Yolk: A Nutrient Goldmine

An Egg a Day is MORE Than Okay! Even though eggs are not the major contributor of cholesterol in the American diet, over the last 35 years eggs have become the visual icon of high cholesterol, both dietary and blood cholesterol, and many consumers have responded by limiting, or eliminating eggs from their diets. U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that meat, poultry and fi sh together account for nearly 45% of cholesterol intake, compared to under 36% for eggs. (1) Between 1970, when the public fi rst started hearing the diet-cholesterol message, to 1995, egg consumption decreased 24%, from 311 to 238 eggs per person per year. The message to limit dietary cholesterol had been so effective that recent surveys show that 45 to 50% of consumers considered dietary cholesterol “a serious health risk.” And since everyone seemed to replay the same nutritional messages, “less than 300 mg per day of dietary cholesterol and no more than 3 to 4 whole eggs a week,” consumers assumed that the recommendations must be not only science based but also proven safe and effective. Today as we are learning about many aspects of the more traditional conventional wisdom in nutrition, the proscriptions against eggs and dietary cholesterol are coming under increased scrutiny as new research not only questions the validity of old concepts but presents documented evidence that the old theories don’t hold up well to rigorous scrutiny. Today, as scientific investigation and statistical analytical methodologies have improved, research studies provide a more accurate perspective of the biological processes involved in diet-disease relationships. In fact, a 2007 observational study of 9,734 people conducted by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, found no increased risk for stroke, ischemic stroke or coronary heart disease when subjects ate 6 or more eggs per week. The researchers concluded that “the lack of relationship between egg consumption and cardiovascular diseases may be attributable to lack of association between serum cholesterol and egg consumption”. (2) Over the years there have been numerous reports that egg consumption is not related to either plasma cholesterol levels or coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence. Epidemiological surveys across cultures, such as the Twenty Countries Study, (3) reported that dietary cholesterol and egg consumption were related to cardiovascular disease mortality using simple correlation analyses but, when multivariate analyses were included correcting for saturated fat calories, there were no relationships between CHD and either dietary cholesterol or egg intakes. Data from the Framingham Heart Study, (4), (5) the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT) (6), the Lipid Research Clinics Prevalence Trial (7), the Alpha-Tocopheral, Beta- Carotene Cancer Prevention Study,8 the Nurses’ Health Study,8 and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (8) all reported that dietary cholesterol intake was not related to either plasma cholesterol levels or CHD incidence. In 1999 Hu and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) an analysis of data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study on the relationships between weekly egg consumption and CHD and stroke incidences. (9) The Nurses’ Health Study included 80,082 nurses aged 34 to 59 years at study onset followed for 14 years (1980-1994) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study involved 37,851 males aged 40 to 75 years in 1986 and followed for 8 years (1986-1994). The investigators determined daily egg consumption from multiple food-frequency questionnaires and measured incidences of nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal CHD, and stroke in the two study populations. The investigators reported that after adjustments for age, smoking, and other potential CHD risk factors, there was no evidence for a significant relationship between egg consumption and risk of CHD or stroke in either men or women. The researchers concluded “that consumption of up to one egg per day is unlikely to have substantial overall impact on the risk of CHD or stroke among healthy men and women.” Using data from subgroup analyses, the authors noted an increased risk of CHD associated with higher egg consumption among study participants with diabetes (following an ad libitum diet) but not in those with hypercholesterolemia or excess body weight. The findings by Hu et al.9 add to an ever increasing body of evidence indicating a null relationship between egg consumption and CHD risk. The fact is that most industrialized countries have reviewed the experimental and epidemiological evidence and their nutrition experts determined that dietary cholesterol restrictions are unnecessary for a heart healthy diet. (10) In addition, studies are now showing that restricting eggs from the diet can have negative nutritional effects. The protein quality of eggs is the highest value in the supermarket, and it’s available at the lowest price. Eggs have high nutrient density providing 13 different vitamins and minerals in excess of the caloric contribution. Eggs are a source of biologically available lutein and zeaxanthin which help protect eyes against age related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in the elderly. In addition, eggs are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient needed for fetal brain and memory development and prevention of neural tube defects. And what else is there in an egg which nature has included to optimize embryonic development?: cholesterol (Should eggs be considered nature’s original “functional food”?) And surely, if eggs increased the risk of CHD then countries with higher per capita egg consumption should have high rates of CHD. In fact, it turns out to be just the opposite. The countries with the highest per capita egg intakes are Japan #1, then Spain and France, countries with very low rates of CHD mortality compared to the USA. As the articles in this issue of Nutrition Realities show, there are many reasons to include eggs in a healthy diet. And for segments of the population who are at nutritional risk, the elderly, growing children, low income families, and those with serious illnesses, excluding an affordable, nutrient dense source of high quality protein and a variety of essential nutrients makes very little sense and is unjust. Our current understanding of the relationships between diet and CHD has moved beyond the simplistic view that dietary cholesterol equals blood cholesterol, and shifted towards an emphasis on saturated fats, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle in CHD risk. Consider, that by giving the public one less ineffective dietary issue to concentrate on it may actually increase their awareness of some of their more risky behaviors. Slowly but surely, and with an ever expanding body of scientifi c evidence, eggs are coming back to their rightful place in the American diet. And for all those people who have been avoiding a food they enjoy, this will be a valuable shift in the conventional wisdom which will allow them to again welcome eggs back into their heart healthy diet. REFERENCES: U.S. Department of Agriculture/Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply, 190902004. Home Economics Research Report No. 57, February 2007. 1. Qureshi AI. Regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Sci Monit, 2007, 13(1):CR1-8 Hegsted DM, Ausman LM. Diet, alcohol and coronary heart disease in men. J Nutr 1988;118:1184-1189. Millen BE, Franz MM, Quatromoni PA, et al. Diet and plasma lipids in women. Macronutrients and plasma total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in women: The Framingham nutrition studies. J Clin Epidemiol 1996;49:657-663. Dawber TR, Nickerson RJ, Brand FN, Pool J. Eggs, serum cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. Am J Clin Nutr 1982;36:617-625. Tillotson JL, Bartsch GE, Gorder D, Grandits GA, Stamler J. Food group and nutrient intakes at baseline in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65(1) Suppl:228S-257S. Esrey KL, Joseph L, Grover SA. Relationship between dietary intake and coronary heart disease mortality: Lipid research clinics prevalence follow-up study. J Clin Epidemiol 1996;49:211-216. Pietinen P, Ascherio A, Korhonen P, et al. Intake of fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease in a cohort of Finnish men — The alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene cancer preventionstudy. Am J Epidemiol 1997;145:876-887. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, et al. Dietary fat intake and the risk of coronary heart disease in women. N Engl J Med 1997;337:1491-1499. Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Giovannucci EL, Spiegelman D, Stampfer M, Willett WC. Dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease in men: Cohort follow up study in the United States. BMJ 1996;313:84-90. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Rimm EB, et al. A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA 1999;281:1387-1394. Klein C, The Scientifi c Evidence and Approach Taken to Establish Guidelines for Cholesterol Intake In Australia, Canada, The United Kingdom and the United States, Life Science Research Offi ce, November 2006.

Functions ADHESIVE PROPERTIES Description: Adheres ingredients such as seeds and grains to food products. Application: Health bars, variety breads, snacks AERATION AND STRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT Description: Egg proteins create foam in products resulting in lighter and airier products. Application: Meringues, mousses, souffles, baked goods BINDING Description: Egg proteins provide the structure and coagulative properties to bind food products together. Application: Snack foods, meat products, prepared entrées BROWNING Description: Provides desirable brown color to baked products. Application: Rolls, buns, variety breads CLARIFICATION Description: Egg whites inhibit enzymatic browning and prevent cloudiness in beverages. Application: Wines, juices COAGULATION AND GELATION Description: Egg whites and yolk proteins change from a fluid state to gel. Application: Cakes, frostings, custards, surimi COATING Description: Locks in flavor and aroma. Application: Baked goods, snacks COLOR Description: Xanthophyll pigments in egg yolk contribute yellow color to many foods. Application: Baked products, noodles, custards CRYSTALLIZATION CONTROL Description: Egg white proteins prevent crystallization of sugar and promotes smoothness of chocolate. Application: Confections EMULSIFICATION Description: Phospholipids and lipoproteins serve as surface active agents stabilizing oil in water emulsions. Application: Salad dressings, sauces FINISH/GLOSS Description: Used universally in baking to improve product appearance. Egg wash gives surface gloss and shine. Application: Sweet breads, cookies, frostings FLAVOR Description: Carries and enhances some flavors, and imparts desirable egg flavor. Application: Custards, confections FREEZABILITY Description: Improves texture and acceptability of products going through freeze/thaw cycle. Application: Frozen doughs, microwavable food HUMECTANCY Description: Holds moisture in food products to help increase shelf life. Application: Variety breads, rolls INSULATION Description: Keeps products from turning soggy. Application: Breads, frozen doughs MOUTHFEEL IMPROVEMENT Description: Provides substantial body and smoothness to foods. Application: Variety breads, sweet goods, puddings pH Description: Stable pH. Application: Won’t disrupt food product formulations SHELF LIFE EXTENSION Description: Keeps starch molecules moist and fresh. Application: Commercial bread formulations TENDERIZATION Description: Tenderizes foods naturally giving a soft surface feel. Application: Soft breads, rolls TEXTURE IMPROVEMENT Description: Firms up the texture of food products and provides crumb improvement. Application: Rolls, light foods THICHENING Description: Thickens sauces and gravies, and adds body to achieve product improvement. Application: Sauces, toppings, prepared foods

U.S. Egg Products A re you sure that you’re using the right egg product in your product formulations? Why not step back and compare your egg ingredient selection with the wide range of choices that exist today. Overall, the egg category has grown substantially, and per capita consumption of eggs has reached its highest point in nearly twenty years. Supply companies have responded, with a remarkable array of new and better ways to store and use eggs. All to make one of the most convenient protein sources even easier and safer to use in your operation. This brochure is meant to give you a working knowledge of all the many different types of egg products available — one or more may be even more appropriate for your needs today, saving you money, storage space, or preparation time. We trust you’ll find it useful!

Frequently Asked Questions Q: Are hens given antibiotics? Are there antibiotics in my eggs? A: Egg farmers are committed to producing safe, high-quality eggs and keeping their hens healthy and free from disease. Egg farms may use a limited number of FDA-approved antibiotics, provided they comply with FDA guidelines for usage. These FDA regulations also are designed to assure antibiotic residues are not passed to eggs. Due to the effective use of vaccines and on-farm disease prevention, only a small percentage of egg-laying flocks ever receive antibiotics. If they do, it is usually under supervision of a veterinarian and only for a short time to treat a specific disease or to prevent a recurring disease. It’s important to know eggs can only be labeled as antibiotic-free if egg farmers choose not to use any antibiotics in feed or water as the pullets (young hens) are growing or when hens are laying eggs. Certified organic eggs must be antibiotic-free by regulation. Q: Do egg producers inject their hens with hormones? A: No. Growth hormones are never given to egg-laying hens in the U.S. Laying hens are fed a high-quality, nutritionally-balanced diet of corn, soybean meal, vitamins and minerals. The feed is carefully formulated with the proper nutrients to produce safe, quality eggs. Q: Is there any chance the eggs I could buy at the grocery store could be fertilized? A: Hens that produce eggs commercially never encounter a rooster, so there is no way eggs purchased at the grocery store could be fertilized with an embryo. Q: What is foodborne illness? A: The way food is processed and prepared is important because all foods have the ability to carry microorganisms (like bacteria and viruses) or toxins that can cause illness. If microorganisms or toxins are introduced to food or if bacteria are allowed to grow in or on food without being killed (usually by heat) before eating, foodborne illness can result. Common symptoms of foodborne illness include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps and headache. Q: How safe are eggs? A: The risk of getting a foodborne illness from eggs is very low. However, the nutrients that make eggs a high-quality food for humans are also a good growth medium for bacteria. In addition to food, bacteria also need moisture, a favorable temperature and time in order to multiply and increase the risk of illness. In the rare event that an egg contains bacteria, you can reduce the risk by proper chilling and eliminate it by proper cooking. When you handle eggs with care, they pose no greater food-safety risk than any other perishable food. The inside of an egg was once considered almost sterile. But, over recent years, the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis (Se) has been found inside a small number of eggs. Scientists estimate that, on average across the U.S., only 1 of every 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria. So, the likelihood that an egg might contain Se is extremely small – 0.005% (five one-thousandths of one percent). At this rate, if you’re an average consumer, you might encounter a contaminated egg once every 84 years. Other types of microorganisms could be deposited along with dirt on the outside of an egg. So, in the U.S., eggshells are washed and sanitized to remove possible hazards. You can further protect yourself and your family by discarding eggs that are unclean, cracked, broken or leaking and making sure you and your family members use good hygiene practices, including properly washing your hands and keeping them clean. Q: Are eggs the only source of Salmonella bacteria? A: No. Salmonella bacteria are widely found in nature and easily spread. The bacteria can be found in the intestinal tracts of animals, birds, reptiles, insects and people. While the egg itself may not be contaminated when you buy it, it can become contaminated from various sources, such as hands, pets, other foods and kitchen equipment, too. Q: Doesn't the eggshell protect an egg from bacteria? A: Yes and no. The egg has many natural, built-in barriers to help prevent bacteria from entering and growing. These protect the egg on its way from the hen to your home. But, although it does help, the porous shell itself is not a foolproof bacterial barrier. For further safety, government regulations require that eggs be carefully washed with special detergent and sanitized. A: Other protective barriers include the shell and yolk membranes and layers of the white which fight bacteria in several ways. The structure of the shell membranes helps prevent the passage of bacteria. The shell membranes also contain lysozyme, a substance that helps prevent bacterial infection. The yolk membrane separates the nutrient-rich yolk from the white. In addition to containing antibacterial compounds such as lysozyme, layers of the white discourage bacterial growth because they are alkaline, bind nutrients bacteria need and/or don’t provide nutrients in a form that bacteria can use. The thick white discourages the movement of bacteria. The last layer of white is composed of thick ropey strands which have little of the water that bacteria need but a high concentration of the white’s protective materials. This layer holds the yolk centered in the egg where it receives the maximum protection from all the other layers. Q: Are Salmonella bacteria most likely to be found in the egg's white or yolk? A: Bacteria, if they are present at all, are most likely to be in the white and will be unable to grow, mostly due to lack of nutrients. As the egg ages, however, the white thins and the yolk membrane weakens. This makes it possible for bacteria to reach the nutrient-dense yolk where they can grow over time if the egg is kept at warm temperatures. But, in a clean, uncracked, fresh shell egg, internal contamination occurs only rarely. Q: Does a blood spot mean an egg is contaminated? A: No. You can’t see bacteria with the naked eye. Blood or meat spots are occasionally found on an egg yolk and are merely an error on the part of the hen. They’re caused by the rupture of a blood vessel on the yolk surface when it’s being formed or by a similar accident in the wall of the oviduct. Most eggs with blood spots are detected by electronic spotters and never reach the market. But, even with mass scanners, it’s impossible to catch them all. Both chemically and nutritionally, eggs with blood spots are fit to eat. You can remove the spot with the tip of a knife, if you wish. Q: Are the twisted, ropey strands of egg white safe? A: Yes. These strands are the chalazae which anchor the yolk in the center of the thick white. They’re composed of nutritious egg albumen and do not indicate contamination. In fact, the more prominent the chalazae, the fresher the egg. These natural parts of the egg don’t interfere with cooking or beating of the white and you don’t need to remove them, although some cooks like to strain them from stirred custard. Q: What will happen if I eat an egg containing Salmonella? A: If an egg containing Salmonella has been kept refrigerated and someone who uses good hygiene practices serves it to you immediately after proper cooking, you’ll simply have a nutritious meal. If the egg has been improperly handled, though, you might experience the foodborne illness called salmonellosis. You could have symptoms of abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, chills, fever and/or headache within 6 to 72 hours after eating. The symptoms usually last only a day or two in healthy people but can lead to serious complications for the very young, pregnant women, the elderly, the ill and those with immune system disorders. Anyone who has had salmonellosis may pass along the bacteria for several weeks after recovering, but salmonellosis is seldom fatal. While the risk of getting salmonellosis is very small, there’s no need to take chances because cooking kills Salmonella. Q: What usually causes salmonellosis? A: Salmonellosis outbreaks are most often associated with animal foods, including chicken, eggs, pork and cheese, but have also been reported related to cantaloupe, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, orange juice and cereal among other foods. Human carriers play a big role in transmitting some types of salmonellosis. Salmonella bacteria can easily spread from one food to another, too. The majority of reported salmonellosis outbreaks involving eggs or egg-containing foods have occurred in foodservice kitchens and were the result of inadequate refrigeration, improper handling and insufficient cooking. If not properly handled, Salmonella bacteria can double every 20 minutes and a single bacterium can multiply into more than a million in 6 hours. But, properly prepared egg recipes served in individual portions and promptly eaten are rarely a problem. You can ensure that your eggs will maintain their high quality and safety by using good hygiene, cooking, refrigeration and handling practices. Q: What is being done about Salmonella in eggs? A: The egg industry, the public health community and government agencies have been working diligently to deal with Salmonella enteritidis. Egg industry programs start by keeping breeder flocks free of Salmonella. Ongoing research is dedicated to discovering how Se gets into flocks and how it might be blocked. The industry also uses strict quality-control practices and sanitation procedures all through production, processing and preparation. This includes testing chicks to be sure they’re free of Salmonella, bio-security (such as washing and sanitizing not only the eggs, but facilities, too) and other measures. To block Se from multiplying in the egg in the rare event it’s present, eggs are held at cool temperatures following packing and throughout transportation. Important, too, are industry education programs which encourage food preparers to use safe food-handling practices. Along with state representatives, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are developing new national standards with the aim of reducing and eventually eliminating egg-related salmonellosis. The strategies will include a scientific, risk-based, farm-to-table plan covering production, processing, transport, storage, retail handling and delivery. The plan will also include education on the responsibilities of consumers, inspectors and food handlers at all levels. Q: How can I protect myself and my family from foodborne illness? A: Along with other food and food-related organizations as well as government food and education agencies, American Egg Board is a founding member of the Partnership for Food Safety Education. This unique industry and government coalition has the aim of informing consumers about safe food-handling practices through the Fight BAC!™campaign. By following the Fight BAC!™ recommendations to clean, separate, cook and chill, you can help prevent BAC from causing foodborne illness.