Did you catch the news this weekend?
Over 500 MILLION eggs were recalled due to Salmonella from two of the largest egg producers in the Mid West. Here are some of the names they were sold under….look at how “farm like” and pure the names sound……Dutch Farms, Farm Fresh, Hillandale, Kemps, Lucerne, Lund, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Shoreland, Sunshine, Trafficanda, James Farms, Glenview and Pacific Coast.
Really, with names like that….Sunshine? You might just think that those chickens actually got sunshine or maybe even stretch their legs! Think again. Here’s what Joel Salatin from Polyface Farm in VA had to say to The Daily Beast:
“Joel Salatin, a farmer whose farm Polyface is featured in The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Food, Inc., tells The Daily Beast that conditions in factory farms are ideal for the spread of infection: ‘The propensity for a problem is magnified under the fecal particulate air in these industrial egg farms. What it does is it breaks down the immune system and creates openings for pathogens. If you were trying to design a pathogen-friendly system, you would go to a single species, crowd that species together, deny it fresh air, exercise, and sunshine, never give it a rest time—have it there 365 days a year, and feed it a diet that maximizes a minimal standard of performance, rather than maximizes nutrition or feed that is nutritionally superior. What I’ve just described is Egg Factory Farming 101. This is just symptomatic of the pathogen-friendly nature of industrial agriculture.’ ”
Let’s take a look at Salmonella. “The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems.”
Eggs from a factory farm. Caged birds that NEVER move except to plop an egg on a conveyor belt.
My organically raised hens that have free range and access to clean water, fresh raw goats milk and organic grain.
Which would you rather eat?
Oh, I know you’ll say my eggs, but really? Do you know, that just like milk, people won’t pay for the better product. I charge $4/dozen for my eggs. That’s about par in this area for fresh, free range, nearly organic eggs. The truth is, people in America have been conditioned to want cheap, old, and readily available food. They balk at $4/dozen. I have lots of “interested” customers but no buyers. That’s ok. I am not in the egg business and as Sweet Girl just said, “It’s supply and demand. There aren’t many farmers raising free range, nearly organic chickens so you can demand what the product is worth. If people think they can get the SAME product for a lesser price then have at it. But they can’t. It’s just not available.”
Of course there’s the alternative…..Grocery Store Factory Farmed Eggs with a sweet name like Sunshine!
The CDC & the FDA’s answer to illness is not changing the way we grow our food, but to kill the pathogens that are in it. Pasteurizing eggs is going to become the norm, just as pasteurizing milk. It was the filth of the early 20th century that led to the pasteurization of milk. So look for the “P” and you ought to feel warm and fuzzy about eating that egg.
I know first hand, that when the milk comes out of the lactating animal, it is CLEAN! Is my container clean and sterile? Was the udder washed properly and did I check to make sure that it didn’t have any off odors or clots?
The same holds true of eggs. Is the coop clean? Are there rodent problems? Is the water source clean? How does the chicken poop look? Are the eggs clean?
My friend and mentor…you guessed it, Throwback At Trapper Creek, did a wonderful post on clean eggs that taught me a great deal. The shell is porous and with the heat of the day, opens to any bacteria on the shell or in the nest. Keeping a clean coop and clean nests will keep the eggs free from feces and ultimately free from disease.
However, nothing is 100% foolproof, and that’s where a healthy gut comes in. Good gut bacteria will fight most pathogens. I’m not a freak about germs. I do believe a little bacteria is good for us to build our systems, except IF you already have a compromised immune system, then you should be cautious about everything that goes into your mouth.
All of this “anti-bacterial” stuff has made us less able to fight anything. Our gut has somewhere between 300-1000 different species often referred to as intestinal flora. We add to them by eating, yogurt, kefir, sourdough, and any other fermented foods.
The answer to the Salmonella problem that the nation is facing is not pasteurizing all eggs sold to the public!
I can see it now. Just as raw milk is illegal in most states, selling unpasteurized eggs will be some day…..you just wait. Or better yet, let’s all eat EggBeaters!!!
The answer in my humble opinion is to KNOW YOUR FARMER! KNOW WHERE YOUR FOOD COMES FROM! EAT LOCAL!
Pretty simple. As I’ve said before, “Does your food have a face?”
