Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network


SAFEFOOD NEWS - Summer 1998 - Vol 2 / No. 4

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Pasteurized Eggs ... Are They Safe?

Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, chief of the Acute Disease Epidemiology Section in the Minnesota Department of Health, says that pasteurized eggs may be providing a false sense of security. In USDA studies, up to 1 percent of pasteurized eggs have been found to contain Salmonella.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not traced a single outbreak of foodborne illness to eating uncooked or undercooked pasteurized eggs since they have been on the market. Dr. Osterholm states that "on the whole, the risk is quite low", but feels that this is an early alert.

Albert Pope, president of the Washington, D.C.,-based United Egg Association, believes that part of the problem is that it now takes longer to run different batches of eggs through the pasteurization process. Adding certain ingredients to the mix might hinder the destruction of pathogens. One example would be the addition of salt, sometimes when large amounts of salt are added to products, the microorganisms in them can withstand more heat. Thus, the usual temperature at which eggs are pasteurized may not be high enough to kill all the Salmonella present.

Producers of pasteurized eggs are cooperating with the USDA in an extensive review of the pasteurization process for about 25 different egg formulations. The testing is expected to be completed in 12 to 18 months. At this point the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline recommends that high-risk populations (the elderly, the very young, and the infirm) should thoroughly cook any dish that contains eggs, even if those eggs are pasteurized.

Source: Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, July 1998.

Updated Monday, August 29, 2011