The Protein Myth

[Narkissos]

Q:

What are the health dangers of eating raw eggs?


A:

The primary risk is exposure to salmonella, a bacteria common in chicken intestines, and eggs often are contaminated through microscopic imperfections in their shells. Adequate heating is the only way to kill the bacteria. Salmonella causes a nasty vomiting/diarrhea/fever syndrome and can be fatal in vulnerable populations--the very young, very old, chronically ill and immune-suppressed.

ref http://www.wwu.edu/chw/ask_the_doc/p...2000/1046.html

2004 Salmonella Outbreak Information
Type State Victims Food Product Location
Salmonella Enteritidis Pennsylvania victims 4 Eggs, Over Easy Restaurant or Deli

http://www.pritzkerlaw.com/2004-salm...k-information/

2003 Salmonella Outbreak Information

Type State Victims Food Product Location

Salmonella Enteritidis California victims 7 Eggs Benedict; Omelet Resta

Salmonella Enteritidis Wisconsin victims 3 Eggs Prison or Jail

Salmonella Heidelberg Minnesota victims 57 Eggs; Pancakes Restaurant

http://www.pritzkerlaw.com/2003-salm...k-information/

It may not happen often but i ask is it really worth taking the risk ?

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ed...ller_tomatoes/

Attack of the iller tomatoes

Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – + June 18, 2008

A 28-STATE outbreak of salmonella poisoning caused by raw tomatoes has exposed once again the inability of the US Food and Drug Administration to protect the public from contaminated food, adulterated medicines, and defective medical devices. A recent report by the agency's own science and technology subcommittee said the FDA's ability to ensure a safe food supply was in crisis. That has been true for years, thanks to underfunding during both the Clinton and Bush administrations. Congress must give the FDA both the funds and the regulatory authority it needs.
more stories like this




In a visit to the Globe last month, David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods, noted that the agency gets just $600 million to regulate about 80 percent of the nation's food supply, while the US Department of Agriculture gets $1 billion to regulate the rest: meat, poultry, and eggs. Still, it has only been in recent weeks - after the first reports of the contaminated tomatoes - that the Bush administration has asked for a $275 million infusion of funding for the FDA.
The tomato poisoning, which has devastated tomato sales in many states, is an echo of last year's cases of spinach contaminated by E. coli bacteria, which had a similar impact on spinach growers. Consumers in 2007 also had to deal with tainted seafood, peanut butter, and pet food.
In addition to more funding, the FDA needs more regulatory clout. Congress is weighing a proposal to let the agency mandate recalls (not just recommend them), but the bill lacks a provision establishing a system to trace the origin of contaminated food. As costly as this would be, it would save growers the millions lost when produce rots during a poisoning scare. Such a system would also make it much easier to pinpoint ways to grow and process produce more safely. The poor state of food safety in America is enough to make a person sick.

[Narkissos]

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ed...ller_tomatoes/

Attack of the iller tomatoes

Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – + June 18, 2008

A 28-STATE outbreak of salmonella poisoning caused by raw tomatoes has exposed once again the inability of the US Food and Drug Administration to protect the public from contaminated food, adulterated medicines, and defective medical devices. A recent report by the agency's own science and technology subcommittee said the FDA's ability to ensure a safe food supply was in crisis. That has been true for years, thanks to underfunding during both the Clinton and Bush administrations. Congress must give the FDA both the funds and the regulatory authority it needs.
more stories like this




In a visit to the Globe last month, David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods, noted that the agency gets just $600 million to regulate about 80 percent of the nation's food supply, while the US Department of Agriculture gets $1 billion to regulate the rest: meat, poultry, and eggs. Still, it has only been in recent weeks - after the first reports of the contaminated tomatoes - that the Bush administration has asked for a $275 million infusion of funding for the FDA.
The tomato poisoning, which has devastated tomato sales in many states, is an echo of last year's cases of spinach contaminated by E. coli bacteria, which had a similar impact on spinach growers. Consumers in 2007 also had to deal with tainted seafood, peanut butter, and pet food.
In addition to more funding, the FDA needs more regulatory clout. Congress is weighing a proposal to let the agency mandate recalls (not just recommend them), but the bill lacks a provision establishing a system to trace the origin of contaminated food. As costly as this would be, it would save growers the millions lost when produce rots during a poisoning scare. Such a system would also make it much easier to pinpoint ways to grow and process produce more safely. The poor state of food safety in America is enough to make a person sick.

Note... This is a story published just 2 hours ago.

The risk of salmonella poisoning is MUCH higher from foods we consume casually: tomatoes, spinach, lettuce... etc. than it is from eggs.

-CNS