4 ms·

I read (on here) about eggs not too long ago. In Europe (UK?) where eggs are not refrigerated, farmers are required to give their chickens antibiotics to reduce

I read (on here) about eggs not too long ago. In Europe (UK?) where eggs are not refrigerated, farmers are required to give their chickens antibiotics to reduce salmonella in the eggs. That's why it's safe to keep them on the counter. In the US there's less antibiotics use in the chickens; instead the eggs are washed and kept cold. I was surprised that the antibiotics are mandated in Europe, given the problems we're seeing with antibiotic-resistance in bacteria that's largely due to overuse in farming. I would've expected that the US farmers were using antibiotics and Europeans were not, rather than the other way around.

lj3 10y ago
Where are you getting your information? As far as I know, the EU has banned most antibiotics for livestock since 2006. I don't know about the UK. A little bit of n=1: I eat eggs directly from the local Mennonite community. They don't use antibiotics in their chickens. I keep the eggs in a bucket in the pantry (cool, but not refrigerated). I wash my eggs before using them. I haven't had an issue with Salmonella yet. I imagine there's a very big difference between free range, naturally raised chickens and eggs and factory farmed chicken and eggs, but I'm not up to date on the details.
- dpark 10y ago
  In the UK chickens are vaccinated against salmonella. My understanding is that this is not legally mandated but a compromise by the egg industry to avoid regulation after some major salmonella outbreak a few decades ago. Mandating antibiotic use would be a great way to breed resistant salmonella.
mrob 10y ago
In the UK, farmers are not required to give antibiotics to reduce salmonella. However, most buyers require "Lion Mark" certified eggs, which requires vaccination (not antibiotics!) against salmonella. Because of this program British eggs are widely considered the safest in the world. I will happily eat Lion Mark eggs raw. I'm surprised that free market enthusiasts rarely talk about the Lion Mark, because it's great example of entirely private business (except for the government trademark enforcement) improving standards for consumers. See: https://www.egginfo.co.uk/british-lion-eggs/about/british-lion-code-practice https://www.egginfo.co.uk/british-lion-eggs/about/british-li...
- DougWebb 10y ago
  Ah, thank you for that info. Vaccination sounds a lot safer.
antognini 10y ago
Here's a link: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why... Antibiotics seem to be a part of it, but not the most important factor. The egg naturally has a thin film around it which protects it from contamination by microbes. In the US, the eggs are washed, which removes this film, rendering the egg susceptible to contamination. The eggs then have to be refrigerated to slow bacterial growth. In the rest of the world, the eggs are left unwashed, so the film prevents the egg from being contaminated and no refrigeration is required.
- lj3 10y ago
  Aha, thanks for that link. I knew there was something else at play with the eggs, but I couldn't remember what it was.

lj3 10y ago

Where are you getting your information? As far as I know, the EU has banned most antibiotics for livestock since 2006. I don't know about the UK. A little bit of n=1: I eat eggs directly from the local Mennonite community. They don't use antibiotics in their chickens. I keep the eggs in a bucket in the pantry (cool, but not refrigerated). I wash my eggs before using them. I haven't had an issue with Salmonella yet. I imagine there's a very big difference between free range, naturally raised chickens and eggs and factory farmed chicken and eggs, but I'm not up to date on the details.

dpark 10y ago
In the UK chickens are vaccinated against salmonella. My understanding is that this is not legally mandated but a compromise by the egg industry to avoid regulation after some major salmonella outbreak a few decades ago. Mandating antibiotic use would be a great way to breed resistant salmonella.

mrob 10y ago

In the UK, farmers are not required to give antibiotics to reduce salmonella. However, most buyers require "Lion Mark" certified eggs, which requires vaccination (not antibiotics!) against salmonella. Because of this program British eggs are widely considered the safest in the world. I will happily eat Lion Mark eggs raw. I'm surprised that free market enthusiasts rarely talk about the Lion Mark, because it's great example of entirely private business (except for the government trademark enforcement) improving standards for consumers. See: https://www.egginfo.co.uk/british-lion-eggs/about/british-lion-code-practice https://www.egginfo.co.uk/british-lion-eggs/about/british-li...

DougWebb 10y ago
Ah, thank you for that info. Vaccination sounds a lot safer.

antognini 10y ago

Here's a link: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why... Antibiotics seem to be a part of it, but not the most important factor. The egg naturally has a thin film around it which protects it from contamination by microbes. In the US, the eggs are washed, which removes this film, rendering the egg susceptible to contamination. The eggs then have to be refrigerated to slow bacterial growth. In the rest of the world, the eggs are left unwashed, so the film prevents the egg from being contaminated and no refrigeration is required.

lj3 10y ago
Aha, thanks for that link. I knew there was something else at play with the eggs, but I couldn't remember what it was.