by Sally Fox – With 380 million eggs under recall, consumers may be anxious about eating any egg or food product containing eggs. Here’s the upshot: Thoroughly cooked eggs are safe, but cross-contamination could be a problem. Here’s more about the recall and food safety.

The recall issued August 13 covers eggs from Wright County Egg in Iowa packaged under the brand names Lucerne ( Safeway’s store brand), Albertsons, Mountain Dairy, Ralphs, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farm and Kemps. The eggs come in six- to 18-egg cartons and other packaging stamped with so-called Julian or packing dates from 136 to 225 (May 16 to Aug. 13). The cartons come from plant Nos. 1026, 1413 or 1946.

The recall expansion announced Wednesday involves eggs from Wright County Egg packaged under the brand names Albertsons, Farm Fresh, James Farms, Glenview, Mountain Dairy, Ralphs, Boomsma’s, Lund, Kemps and Pacific Coast. The egg cartons are stamped with Julian dates 136 to 229 (May 16 to Aug. 17) and plant Nos. 1720 or 1942.

What should I do with eggs that are part of the recall?

Return the eggs to the store for a refund or discard them. Thoroughly cooking eggs kills salmonella bacteria. However, considering the threat of infection, consumers who prepare and eat the eggs are taking too much of a chance, said Jeff LeJeune, an associate professor at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at Ohio State University and an expert in salmonella contamination. “It’s not worth the risk,” he said. Consumers with questions can visit http://www.eggsafety.org or call Wright County Egg’s toll-free information line at (866) 272-5582.

Are other eggs safe?

There’s always some threat of salmonella poisoning from raw eggs.

Are all the eggs from these lots contaminated?

It’s uncertain. An infected hen can lay normal eggs and then occasionally lay an egg contaminated with salmonella. LeJeune said, “you can’t tell a contaminated egg from look, smell or taste.”

Can’t I just cook the eggs to kill the bacteria?

Yes. “Eggs if fully cooked don’t pose a threat. But the problem is a lot of people like to eat their eggs sunny side up or make hollandaise sauce,” LeJeune said. “We want to reduce the threat as much as possible.”

How can I be sure that cooked eggs are free of salmonella?

Both the egg white and egg yolk should be firm throughout and have no visible liquid remaining, related by latimes.com

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