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USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline Offers Food Safety Recommendation for Spring Religious Holidays
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Susan Conley (301) 504-9605
Matt Baun (301) 504-0235
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2006 - USDA's Meat and
Poultry Hotline receives many calls during the spring season related
to the preparation of traditional religious holiday celebrations.
To ensure food safety when using eggs, USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline
suggests that consumers do the following:
- Buy eggs before the "Sell-By" or "EXP" (expiration) date on
the carton.
- Always buy eggs from a refrigerated case. Choose eggs with clean,
uncracked shells.
- Take eggs straight home from the grocery store and refrigerate
them right away. Check to be sure your refrigerator is set at
40°F or below. Don't take eggs out of the carton to put them
in the refrigerator - the carton protects them. Keep the eggs
in the coldest part of the refrigerator - not on the door.
- Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after
handling raw eggs. To avoid cross-contamination, wash forks, knives,
spoons and all counters and other surfaces that touch the eggs
with hot water and soap.
- If eggs remain at room temperature for more than two hours,
then they should not be eaten.
Egg-safety questions from the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
Are decorated Easter eggs safe to eat?
If you plan to eat the Easter eggs you decorate be sure to use only
food grade dye. Some people make two sets of eggs—one for
decorating and then hiding, another for eating. Others use plastic
eggs for hiding.
Are eggs that have been hidden safe to eat?
For an Easter egg hunt, avoid cracking the egg shells. If the shells
crack then bacteria could contaminate the egg inside. Hide eggs
in places that are protected from dirt, pets and other bacteria
sources. Keep hard-cooked eggs chilled in the refrigerator until
just before the hunt.
Can I eat eggs that have been left out without being refrigerated?
The total time for hiding and hunting eggs should be no more than
two hours. Be sure to refrigerate the "found" eggs right away until
you eat them. Eggs found hours later or the next day should be thrown
out.
Eggs play an important role on the Seder plate during Passover celebrations.
If that egg sits out at room temperature for more than two hours
then it should not be eaten.
Since the hard-cooked eggs that are usually served to each person
as part of the special dinner are meant to be eaten, keep those
eggs in the refrigerator until ready to serve. When shell eggs are
hard-cooked, the protective coating is washed away, leaving open
pores in the shell where harmful bacteria could enter. Be sure to
refrigerate eggs within two hours of cooking and use them within
a week. Check your refrigerator temperature with an appliance thermometer
and adjust the refrigerator temperature to 40°F (Fahrenheit)
or below.
How long do eggs and egg dishes keep when stored in the
refrigerator?
Raw shell eggs in the carton can stay in your refrigerator for three
to five weeks from the purchase date. Although the "Sell-By" date
might pass during that time, the eggs are still safe to use. (The
date is not required by federal law, but some states may require
it.)
Egg dishes such as deviled eggs or egg salad should be used within
three to four days. And hard-cooked eggs should be eaten within
a week.
If you have a question about meat, poultry or egg products, then call
the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline toll free at 1-888-MPHotline or
1-888-674-6854, TTY: 1-800-256-7072. You can call the year-round hotline
Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. EST (English or Spanish).
You may also listen to timely recorded food safety messages at the
same number 24 hours a day. Check out FSIS' Web site at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106101809/http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
E-mail questions can be answered by mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
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Last Modified:
April 7, 2006 |
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