What to Do Against Salmonella in Eggs?

What can I do against the risk of salmonella in eggs? Does washing the eggs help?

Raw eggs can contain salmonella inside or on their shell. Therefore, particularly careful hygienic handling is necessary to protect against salmonella-related food infections.

These tips from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment will  help:

• Process eggs as fresh as possible after laying and observe the information on the best-before date.
• Refrigerate eggs to reduce salmonella growth.
• Do not use eggs with heavily soiled or defective shells.
• Egg shells or raw eggs must not come into contact with other foods.
• When breaking eggs, immediately wipe off any egg white or yolk that spills with kitchen paper and clean the work surface thoroughly.
• Clean kitchen utensils that have come into contact with raw eggs immediately and thoroughly with hot water and washing-up liquid or in the dishwasher.
• After handling raw eggs, wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap and dry thoroughly.
• When preparing dishes that are consumed without further heating (e.g. desserts, baked goods with fillings and toppings that have not been heated through, mayonnaise), do not use recipes with raw egg.
• People whose defenses against foodborne infections are impaired or not yet fully developed (especially small children, the sick and the very old) should eat eggs only after they have been fully heated, i.e. when the albumen and yolk are firm.
• Eat egg dishes immediately or store them in the refrigerator at a maximum of 7 °C.

In general, it is important to ensure that the refrigerator is set sufficiently cold: Salmonella, which can occur not only on eggs but also on raw meat and fish, for example, are capable of multiplying at temperatures as low as 7 degrees Celsius.

On the other hand, washing the eggs after shopping is not recommended. This damages the natural protective layer of the egg. Fine cracks make it easier for germs to get inside and multiply there.