No More Organic Eggs?

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Photo by The Cornucopia Institute

A major 2010 salmonella outbreak in eggs, centered on “factory farms” in Iowa, shone a spotlight on industrial-scale egg houses confining tens of thousands of hens, each, in filthy and dangerous conditions.  This past July, the FDA issued a Draft Guidance for the prevention of salmonella enteritidis in shell eggs for egg producers providing outdoor access to their flock.

Despite scientific evidence tying higher rates of pathogenic contamination to older, massive factory farms with caged production/forced molting (banned in organics and now out of favor in conventional agriculture), the FDA is zeroing in on flocks with outdoor access (certified organic).

The new guidance will make it difficult, expensive and perhaps even impossible to have medium-sized flocks of birds outside. This could spell the end, on a commercial scale, of truly organic eggs where hens are outdoors exhibiting their native behavior, as required by USDA’s organic regulations.

There is a critical need for the good food community to come together right now.  Please sign and mail back Cornucopia’s proxy-letter  (today!) on egg safety and other food safety issues (the proxy letter also addresses the threat posed by the FDA’s proposed food safety rule for diverse produce farmers).

  • Published on Sep 13, 2013
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