4Mid-SepteMber 2010


NEWs Ohio’s Country Journal


OsU scientists: Egg safety should always be considered Although the massive egg-related


Salmonella outbreak is on the wane, Ohio State University food safety micro- biologists say the situation serves as a good reminder that consumers always should be cautious about their handling and consumption of whole shell eggs. At the same time, consumers needn’t be overly worried about their safety, either. “Eggs are a raw product,” said


Jennifer Perry, a post-doctoral researcher working with Ahmed Yousef, a microbi- ologist and professor of food science and technology at Ohio State University. “Although it is rare to find Salmonella inside the egg, research conducted by U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists has demonstrated that the pathogen may be present on the exterior of about 8% of shell eggs, yet people treat them as if they’re sterile. They wouldn’t handle raw chicken breast the way they handle eggs, but they probably should treat the prod- ucts about the same.” The scientists commented about egg


safety as 550 million eggs from two Iowa farms were recalled after eggs from those farms were linked to increased numbers of illnesses related to Salmonella Enteritidis, the type of Salmonella usual- ly associated with whole shell eggs.


About 80 billion eggs are produced in the United States each year. Perry and Yousef said key considera-


tions for consumers include: • Refrigerate eggs. Eggs always


should be refrigerated to prevent any bacteria that may be on or inside the eggs from multiplying. Ingesting a few cells of Salmonella is less risky than thousands or millions of them. Cells can multiply rapidly in eggs held at room temperature. • Handle properly. Thoroughly


wash your hands, countertops and other surfaces that come into contact with eggs or their contents, as you would do with raw meat. • Cook thoroughly or be prepared to


take a risk. The only way to completely eradicate Salmonella bacteria that may be in an egg is to be sure the egg is com- pletely cooked through — hard-boiled or over hard. Even scrambled eggs may not be cooked long or hot enough to be com- pletely safe, “unless they’re cooked until they’re rubbery,” Perry said. At the same time, consumers who


have eggs in their refrigerator that are not part of the recall do not have to eye them any more suspiciously than they would otherwise, said Perry and Yousef.


“What is happening with this recall


is not the norm,” said Yousef, who is also a scientist with the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. “We have these sporadic events and, yes, we need to react in a responsible way, but eggs that fall outside of this recall are no more risky than they were before.” Generally, organic eggs or those from


cage-free operations carry the same risk as other eggs, the scientists said, although none are involved in the cur- rent outbreak. People most at risk from Salmonella-


related illness are children, the elderly and anyone with a chronic health condi- tion; Perry and Yousef recommend that they never eat undercooked eggs; pas- teurized egg products are a good option for at-risk populations. Other people who might ingest Salmonella bacteria that would normally be expected in a contaminated egg would generally expe- rience non-life threatening symptoms. In addition to good epidemiological


investigation, Yousef and Perry credit PulseNet, a national network of public health and food regulatory agency lab- oratories created in the 1990s and coor- dinated by the Centers for Disease


Control and Prevention, for being able to pinpoint the cause of the increase in Salmonella illnesses that health author- ities began noticing in May. According to the CDC, between the beginning of May and the end of July, 1,953 illnesses in states across the nation associated with a specific subtype of Salmonella were reported to PulseNet; based on the previous five years of data, authori- ties would have expected the number to be closer to 700. “In the last few years, it’s been easi-


er to link illnesses to a particular food,” Yousef said. “The lab techniques and the ability to track pathogens (from patients) back to their food source have improved, and as a result we might see an increase in recalls when an event like this is identified.” Before these techniques were implemented, authori- ties may not have even recognized widespread cases of illness as an out- break associated with a common food source, Yousef and Perry said. More information on the egg recall,


including information on which eggs are involved in the recall, is available at www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/MajorProd uctRecalls/ucm223522.htm or, currently, at www.foodsafety.gov.


Ohio efforts helping Weed out Hunger Representatives from Blanchard


Valley Farmers Co-op and Syngenta Crop Protection presented a donation of $7,500 to the Salvation Army Pantry in Findlay last month. Mike Tobe, agrono- my manager at Blanchard Valley Farmers Co-op, and Dave Wurm, sales represen- tative with Syngenta Crop Protection, hand-delivered the check to Timothy Higgins, commanding officer of the Salvation Army Pantry, and Connie Higgins, officer. Blanchard Valley Farmers Co-op,


Land O’ Lakes Foundation and Halex GT corn herbicide made the donation on behalf of the customers of Blanchard


Valley Farmers Co-op and Land O’Lakes, as part of the Weeding out Hunger cam- paign sponsored by Halex GT corn herbi- cide from Syngenta Crop Protection. Customers of both companies attended a check presentation by Tobe and Andrew Fisher, district manager for Syngenta, during Blanchard Valleys’ Summer Field Day event in Findlay last month. The Weeding out Hunger campaign


began in January and has been touring the country to collect food and make monetary donations to local Feeding America food banks. In addition, up to $100,000 of Halex GT corn herbicide sales in 2010 are being donated to Feeding


Pictured, from the left, are Timothy Higgins,


commanding officer, and Connie Higgins, officer,


from the Salvation Army in Findlay; Dave Wurm, NW Central Ohio sales rep, Syngenta Crop Protection; and Mike


Tobe, agronomy manager, Blanchard Valley Farmers Coop, Findlay, during a check presentation to


help Weed out Hunger, held last month in Findlay.


America affiliated food banks.


UsDa announces loan program for natural resource conservation On Sept. 2, Agriculture Secretary Tom


Vilsack announced the launch of a Conservation Loan (CL) program that will provide farm owners and farm-related business operators access to credit to implement conservation techniques that will conserve natural resources. “This will give farmers who want to


implement conservation measures on their lands a chance to do so by providing assis-


tance with their up-front costs,” Vilsack said. “In return, these producers will help to reduce soil erosion, improve water qual- ity, and promote sustainable and organic agricultural practices.” CL funds can be used to implement


conservation practices approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), such as the installation of conser- vation structures; establishment of forest


cover; installation of water conservation measures; establishment or improvement of permanent pastures; implementation of manure management; and the adaptation of other emerging or existing conservation practices, techniques or technologies. Direct CLs can be obtained through


local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices with loan limits up to $300,000. Guaranteed CLs up to $1,112,000 are avail-


able from lenders working with FSA. For more information on the


Conservation Loan program, contact a local FSA office or visit the FSA Web site at www.fsa.usda.gov. For more information about this announcement see the notice that will appear in the Sept. 3 edition of the Federal Register: www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/ federalNotices?area=home&subject=lare&t opic=frd-ii.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52