Mom Central Food

The hard boiled truth about egg safety and the salmonella recall

By now you must have heard about the egg recall issued from Wright County Farms in response to a salmonella outbreak in 17 states. To find out what brands have been recalled, you can visit eggsafety.org and check their Egg Recall – Affected Brands and Description list.  You can learn more about the egg salmonella recall on their Recall and Egg Safety - Questions and Answers page, too.

Properly handle and cook your eggs

Even if the eggs in your refrigerator haven’t been recalled, you should still be familiar with proper egg cooking methods. A great resource on all things egg related is incredibleegg.org. They recommend that eggs be cooked until the whites and yolks are firm (not runny). For dishes containing eggs, like quiche or bread pudding, cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. (Salmonella is destroyed by the heat of cooking.)

In addition to thoroughly cooking your eggs, follow these simple food-handling practices:

• Wash your hands before and after handling eggs.
• Thoroughly wash any surfaces, cookware and utensils that come into contact with raw eggs – an important step for avoiding cross-contamination.
• Separate eggs from other foods in your grocery cart and in the refrigerator to prevent cross-contamination.
• Keep eggs in their original carton. Do not put them in the egg tray in your refrigerator. This too will help with cross-contamination.
• If you use cloth or reusable grocery bags, you should wash them after use.
• Keep eggs in the main section (not the door) of the refrigerator at a temperature between 33 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Eggs left at room temperature should be discarded after two hours, or one hour in warm weather.

Get more safe food handling tips on the Incredible Egg website.

Mom Central's 5 Ways to Help Haiti

The devastating earthquake that hit Haiti has turned exponentially more disastrous as the small island nation remains ill-equipped to handle such a catastrophe. The Haitian people and relief workers need as many donations as possible to handle the devastating aftermath. Here are 4 simple ways to immediately donate to any of these crucial causes:

1. Doctors without Borders

Another famous relief foundation has already treated 1,000 people on the ground in Haiti, but an estimated 3 million have been affected by this quake, so there remains tremendous work to be done. They have a page to donate and great suggestions on sharing the cause through badges for your blog or website.

2. UNICEF

UNICEF pledges that 100% of donations will be used to save children’s lives in Haiti. UNICEF's disaster relief response, coordinated with other UN agencies and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, will focus on helping children and women, usually the most vulnerable in times of crisis. Children under 18 make up nearly 50 percent of the 10 million population of Haiti.

3. Mercy Corps

The Mercy Corps always distinguish themselves as one of the first responders when an earthquake hits. They helped out in Peru in 2007, China in 2008, Indonesia in 2009, and now they land as one of the first on the ground in Haiti. Their extensive experience can only be made more valuable by donations and funding. Their website has a place to donate and also asks users to set up their own fundraising page and encourage other to help out as well.

4. Donate from your Mobile Phone

From your mobile phone (any carrier, any rate plan) -- it’s very easy:

Text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross. (U.S. State Department) or

Text “YELE” to 501501 to donate $5 to Yele Haiti. (foundation started by Wyclef Jean)

This aid goes immediately to the first responders on the ground in Haiti and will be sorely needed.

5. Oxfam America

Oxfam America has nearly 40 years of experience in disaster response. Your donation will go immediately to the most critical needs in Haiti, and they will ensure that every penny is used wisely.

Oxfam has a staff of approximately 200 people on the ground in Haiti, including a group of highly-experienced emergency specialists.  This emergency team supports rescue efforts, assessing the damage and responding with public health, water and sanitation services to prevent the spread of waterborne disease.  Additional emergency specialists have been dispatched from USA, UK, and Mexico today and the charity is preparing to send additional stocks.

Oxfam staffers have reported hearing cries from the streets: “Water, water, water!”  Oxfam is working to provide clean water and emergency shelter to as many as 300,000 people now living homeless in this ruined city.

Donations are urgently needed to rush aid to the area – please give now.

They are already providing assistance, but need your help immediately to save more lives with clean water, temporary shelters, and sanitation equipment.

Right now, for the Haitian people, every dollar counts.

Peanut Butter Recall and Other Food News

Whenever a food recall strikes, we all start to worry. Especially when the product is something we use often! After the recent outbreak of salmonella, which was traced to peanut butter produced by the Peanut Corp. of America, consumers and businesses alike grew concerned. Now companies and stores like Safeway Inc. Kroger Co, Clif Bar, and General Mills are all recalling food products containing the ingredient. While peanut butter in jars has been spared (since PCA does not sell to consumers directly), officials suggest that, for now at least, we avoid eating any other products that contain peanut butter, no matter where they’re from.

So far, this outbreak has left nearly 500 sick and, reportedly, may have played a role in 6 deaths, and it’s the second time that cases of salmonella have been linked to peanut butter in the last two years. Parents have been especially concerned with food safety after last year’s outbreak originating from tomatoes, e.coli poisoning that was linked to lettuce, and, before those, an outbreak of salmonella caused by bagged spinach.

Symptoms of salmonella usually start 1-3 days after eating contaminated food, and include fever, nausea, and vomiting. For more information about recalled foods, visit the searchable site set up by the FDA. If you're interested in more, you can also read some more bloggers' takes on it. Tishia at Adventures of a Single WAHM and Blogger Dad both presented some coverage and their thoughts.

Also, in other food news, we recently came across an interesting (though slightly disturbing) blurb in BrandWeek. Apparently, some brands use crushed cochineal beetles to add extra color to fruit-based food and drinks – which they would often call “artificial color.” Just this week, though, the FDA demanded that the bugs be listed on labels. Which is good news for many (even if the idea of bugs in your juice alone doesn’t make you think twice) – a number of people experience allergic reactions due to the beetles and can now be on the lookout for such products.