Egg Farmers Have Adopted New FDA Egg Safety Regulations to Reduce Salmonella

(BUSINESS WIRE)--America’s egg farmers, who have been continually working to enhance food safety, are committed to working with the Food and Drug Administration to ensure the egg safety regulations are implemented and the gains in food safety the industry has worked hard for are maintained.

“Egg farmers have practiced the requirements of the new regulations for many years now and have achieved significant success in food safety for our customers,” said Gene Gregory, president of United Egg Producers.

As a result of the industry’s proactive efforts, consumers have benefited from reduced rates of Salmonella Enteritidis and other food safety concerns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have documented reductions in Salmonellosis in states where producers have put egg production safety practices into effect. The programs currently used by egg farmers are designed around food safety and consumer health much in the same way the FDA’s new program has been developed.

FDA started in 1999 on egg production safety regulations to address concerns with Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs. In the 10 years leading up to these newly announced regulations, egg producers continued to improve egg safety through preventative measures in housing and storage while they waited for the final Federal rule. During the FDA’s development process, United Egg Producers made suggestions to improve the original proposal for egg safety regulations and while many guidelines were adapted, some suggestions that the industry still considers important were not accepted.

“Although many important guidelines that we submitted to FDA were not considered, we will carefully study the entire final rule and work with FDA to make sure it is implemented in a way that is fair to producers and advances food safety for consumers,” said Gregory.

Egg producers are confident the program will further reduce illness associated from contaminated eggs and note that it is important to understand the estimates of reduced illnesses published by FDA are based on statistical extrapolations used to estimate the total number of illnesses and not on a count of illnesses that have actually occurred in the recent past.

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The Sunnier Side Of Breakfast

(NAPSI)-It's been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In addition to providing the necessary energy to get up and go, studies have shown that those who eat a healthy breakfast have better overall diets, improved concentration and performance during the day, and more strength and endurance for physical activity. Unfortunately, the traditional hot breakfast--eggs, meat and potatoes--can add fat and calories to your plate. But there's good news for breakfast lovers who've resolved to eat better this year: With a few simple substitutions, you can still enjoy a hearty, satisfying morning meal without some of the guilt.

Here are a few tips for remaking the traditional breakfast:

• If your morning beverage of choice is coffee with cream and sugar, try using skim milk and a sugar substitute instead.

• A side of fresh fruit can be an easy way to increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables--and add a smidgen of something sweet to your plate.

• Toss a few vegetables into your eggs for added fiber and flavor.

• Substitute your breakfast meat with the new Morningstar Farms Maple Flavored Veggie Sausage Patties. These maple-flavored veggie sausage patties are a sweet-and-savory alternative to traditional precooked pork sausage, with 76 percent less fat. You can enjoy them alongside a serving of eggs or crumbled into any recipe that calls for maple-flavored sausage. In fact, they're the main ingredient in this Easy Brunch Focaccia recipe--a delicious "breakfast pizza" that will have everyone around the table saying, "That's amore!"

Easy Brunch Focaccia

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Time to Table: 35 minutes

Ingredients

4 Morningstar Farms Maple Flavored Veggie Sausage Patties, thawed

1 tube (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza dough

¾ cup finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon dried sage leaves

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple or 1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits (juice pack), drained

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese or Cheddar cheese

Directions

Cut the Morningstar Farms Maple Flavored Veggie Sausage Patties into bite-size pieces. Set aside. Unroll dough onto baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Press dough into 14 x 10-inch rectangle.

In small nonstick skillet, cook onion in oil over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in sage and pepper. Spread over dough. Arrange veggie patty pieces and pineapple on top of onion mixture. Bake at 425° F for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are brown.

Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 425° F for 5 to 6 minutes more or until cheese melts and crust is golden brown. Cut into rectangles to serve. Serve warm.

Yield: 6 servings

For more quick recipes and fun food ideas, visit www.SeeVeggiesDifferently.com.

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Solutions for the Back-to-School Breakfast Scramble

(ARA) – A popular TV commercial for an office supply store depicts a dad gleefully dancing through the aisles, filling his cart with back-to-school bargains while a singer croons “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” in the background. But when it comes to back-to-school grocery shopping – and especially breakfast shopping – you may find yourself feeling less than wonderful.

For many parents, getting the kids up and out the door with a good breakfast under their belts is a stressful part of the back-to-school routine. Leisurely summer schedules, with plenty of time for breakfast prep, are gone, replaced by the hectic pace of school days – and an even more compelling need to fuel children’s mornings with a fast, nutritious breakfast.

“Ample research has shown that kids who start the day with a good breakfast perform better in school,” says Marcia Greenblum, M.S., R.D., director of educational outreach for the Egg Nutrition Center. “And several recent studies have even found a link between skipping breakfast and overweight or obesity in adolescents. So the importance of a good breakfast can’t be overstated.”

Here are four ideas for minimizing the stress of back-to-school breakfast-time, while ensuring kids get a healthful start to the day:

1. Prepare the night before. Encourage kids to pack their book bags and select the next day’s wardrobe. Parents can pre-pack lunches to save time in the morning. Fill your vehicle’s gas tank in the evening, and if mornings are really crazy in your household you can shower the night before so there’s one less person in the bathroom during peak traffic time.

2. Take five minutes online in the morning to check the weather and traffic in your area. That way you’ll be able to adjust attire and travel routes according to current conditions, rather than have to run back into the house for an umbrella or sit in traffic at a road construction site.

3. Turn off the TV. In many American households, the television goes on as soon as the family is up. But the morning news can actually distract parents from the morning schedule, and kids who get wrapped up in a cartoon or video will be reluctant to leave the house. Plus, during breakfast is a great time to talk about the coming day with your kids and the TV will be an unwelcome intruder on that quality time.

4. Choose breakfast foods like eggs, yogurt or peanut butter that pack the most fuel-efficient nutrients, like protein, in easy-to-prepare, easy-to-transport form. “The high-quality protein found in eggs helps kids feel full longer and stay energized, which is what on-the-go youngsters need,” Greenblum says. “Eggs are all-natural, and they provide the highest quality protein found in any food because they contain all the essential amino acids our bodies need in a near-perfect pattern.”

Since you won’t always be able to keep on schedule and have a sit-down-breakfast, have a few easy-to-carry handheld options in your breakfast repertoire. Scrambled eggs are a great option for a quick-to-fix, on-the-go breakfast. With scrambled eggs, you can serve one dish, half a dozen ways as scrambled eggs can be wrapped in whole wheat tortillas, stuffed into a pita pocket or sandwiched between two waffles. Your family may come up with their own scrambled egg favorite! Be sure to include some fruit and a drink and you have a complete breakfast-on-the-go.

Scrambled Eggs

Makes: One to two servings

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 tablespoons skim or low-fat milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon butter or cooking oil or cooking spray

Directions:

In small bowl, beat together eggs and milk with salt and pepper, if desired, until blended. In 7-to 8-inch omelet pan or skillet over medium heat, heat 1 teaspoon butter until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Pour in egg mixture.

As mixture begins to set, gently draw an inverted pancake turner completely across bottom and sides of pan, forming large, soft curds. Continue cooking until eggs are thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Do not stir constantly.

For more recipes or breakfast information visit www.incredibleegg.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent