Egg Safety Important in Enjoying Easter Responsibly

Easter is this Sunday which means treats and games abound for kids, including Easter egg hunts.

Sarah Schwab of the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Program said it’s important to handle eggs properly because they can carry many pathogens.

“Cold storage in your refrigerator needs to be held at 41 degrees or less, and then when cooking thoroughly, you need to cook them until they are hard eggs.”

The modern day egg industry uses automated systems that actually make the egg safer prior to purchase but then it’s up to the consumer to get eggs into refrigeration and to prepare them properly.

Families can make great memories decorating eggs as well, but Schwab said it’s important to remember that they can be a hazardous food.

“This is a food item. You are using it for a craft project so there’s just another potential for vulnerability or hazard being that it’s a food. So we want to make sure it’s not out of refrigeration temperature for too long. An hour, two hours at the most.”

Schwab also noted that while eggs got a lot of attention during Easter, these are practices you should follow all year long.