WASHINGTON A new federal regulation aimed at preventing sickness from salmonella in eggs should not cause significant price hikes, said a spokesman for a leading egg producers group.
The Food and Drug Administration announced new rules earlier this week that will require producers to take preventative measures during the production of shelled eggs in poultry houses and subsequent refrigeration during storage and transportation.
Howard Magwire, vice president of government relations for the Alpharetta, Ga.-based United Egg Producers, said a major portion of the shelled-egg industry already has been working with health officials to reduce contamination by salmonella since the late 1980s, when that problem came to light. UEP's 250 member companies are responsible for an estimated 98 percent of the shelled eggs produced in the United States.
“In concept,” Magwire said, “we’ve long supported a regulation on egg safety.”
For producers that are not already taking the preventative steps outlined by the FDA on Tuesday, Magwire said the cost of compliance is not likely to result in significantly higher prices. “It will probably cost you a couple of cents a dozen," he said.
He also noted that many producers have already taken action to reduce salmonella contamination, either voluntarily or in accordance with state requirements, which also will minimize the new rule's impact on egg prices.
“Overall, our producers are up to this,” he said. “Our plan is to work with FDA and get this implemented.”
In announcing the new multi-part rule, FDA officials said the measure is expected to prevent each year 79,000 cases of foodborne illness and 30 deaths tied to salmonella in eggs. They said implementing the preventative measures in the new rule would reduce the number of salmonella enteritidis infections from eggs by nearly 60 percent.
“Preventing harm to consumers is our first priority,” Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the FDA's commissioner, said in a statement. “[The new rule] will prevent thousands of serious illnesses from salmonella in eggs.”
FDA officials estimated that complying with the new rules will cost the egg industry about $81 million, while providing $1.4 billion in public health benefits.
Producers with 50,000 or more hens must comply with the new rule within a year of its posting in the Federal Register, and suppliers with between 3,000 and 50,000 birds must follow the guideline within 36 months. To ensure compliance, egg producers must maintain a written salmonella prevention plan and records documenting their compliance, and register with the FDA.
Under the new rule, the FDA said, egg producers must:
- Buy chicks and young hens only from suppliers who monitor for salmonella bacteria.
- Establish rodent, pest control, and biosecurity measures to prevent spread of bacteria throughout the farm by people and equipment.
- Conduct testing in the poultry house for salmonella enteritidis. If the tests find the bacterium, a representative sample of the eggs must be tested over an eight-week time period and if any of the egg tests are positive, the producer must further process the eggs to destroy the bacteria, or divert the eggs to a non-food use.
- Clean and disinfect poultry houses that have tested positive for salmonella enteritidis.
- Refrigerate eggs at 45 degrees Fahrenheit temperature during storage and transportation no later than 36 hours after the eggs are laid.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].