All Sanlind farm eggs potentially contain salmonella
Eggs from all Sanlind farms have been infected with salmonella, according to the Veterinary and Food Board (VTA). Salmonella had been detected at two of the Valga company's farms, as reported by ERR on 4 October. Now the VTA says output from all Sanlind OÜ farms has been infected, including eggs already purchased from stores.
The VTA stated the possible contamination concerns Sanlind eggs labeled with product code 3EE16711 and with a best before date between 26 October and 2 November. The farms/brands in question are called Kodutalu, Kodukoha, Pisihää, Hiigelhää and Hüva.
Immediate restrictions were imposed on the company after the latest revelations; last week the company's head, Andres Puksov, had expressed optimism on being able to resume trade, although around 200,000 chickens were being sent to Poland for slaughter.
How to avoid salmonella poisoning
Adequately cooked eggs containing salmonella are reportedly not necessarily harmful to consume; problems arise with undercooked or raw eggs, often used in recipes such as steak tartare.
Salmonella bacteria are apaprently eliminated at temperatures of 70C or higher. To achieve this, eggs should be boiled at least 10 minutes, longer for the larger sized eggs, or fried properly on both sides.
To further avoid illness, hands should be washed for 20-30 seconds in warm soapy water after preparing recipes with eggs and, as per usual, after using the bathroom. Cooking utensils and storage containers which have been in contact with eggs should also be thoroughly washed.
In July an outbreak of salmonella poisoning was traced to popular Tallinn restaurant NOA.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte