Dubai cracks down on 'bad eggs' in safety campaign

Egg-related food poisoning cases among 800 detected in the city.

The Dubai Municipality has detected 800 cases of food poisoning, of which 180 cases were linked to salmonella bacteria, during the first half of the year, an official said on Monday.
To highlight the importance of safe consumption of eggs, which can cause salmonella if mishandled, the Dubai Municipality launched a week-long campaign 'Together for Food Safety' to focus on the right consumption and storage of egg-based products.
The element of safety related to egg-based products was chosen for this year's campaign after a survey finding on food-borne illnesses showed that the majority of outbreaks were related to egg-based products.
Speaking to the media, Bobby Krishna, food safety specialist at the Dubai Municipality, said it isn't confirmed if the number of cases were caused from establishments in the country. "The salmonella bacteria could be carried by people travelling in or coming back from vacation, since the city witnesses an influx of visitors," he said.

However, about 30 of the cases were linked to Salmonella Enteritidis, a bacteria caused from exposure to eggs, especially ones that are not fully cooked. "Eggs are such high-risk products. If kept at high temperature for a long time, it can cause high salmonella levels that the stomach cannot kill," said Krishna.
The key, he said, is to pick fresh eggs that are well refrigerated in supermarkets with recent production dates and store them correctly at home at cold temperatures of 5-10?degrees.
"If the egg is old, salmonella increases rapidly. We usually don't see a poisoning outbreak from an egg, unless it is mishandled when mixed with other products by either not cooking it well, or keeping it at high temperatures for long time without safely storing it," said Krishna.
The municipality launched the campaign at five branches of Lulu Hypermarkets across Dubai and four branches of Choithrams.
The hypermarkets will be giving tips through posters and brochures to help consumers shop safely.
Sultan Ali Al Taher, acting director of food safety department at the municipality, said the department inspects the source of eggs and safe transportation in temperature-controlled shipments of 0-5.
Local farms, he said, are safer options due to their shorter journeys to supermarkets across the country. "Our inspection teams regularly conduct visits to check bakeries and supermarkets, paying close attention to whether egg-related products are stored at the right temperatures," said Al Taher.
If the fridges require different designs for safer storage in supermarkets, the municipality takes necessary action to provide comments on new designs.
He added that once consumers are aware, they will also ensure safe purchase, storage and use of egg-related products.
"It is always necessary to make sure to buy eggs that are refrigerated and place them in the coldest part of the car," said Al Taher. "As many egg-based products such as tiramisu, chocolate mousse, and garlic paste use raw eggs as part of their recipes, the food safety department aims to emphasise the importance of proper handling, cooking and storing of eggs."

Safe grocery shopping is equal consumer responsibility

Jehaina Hassan Al Ali, head of awareness and applied nutrition unit at the Dubai Municipality, said the campaign targets outlets and consumers alike.
She said for safety reasons, hypermarkets across the emirate were asked to use pasteurised eggs when making desserts.
Al Ali added the civic body has started conducting workshops for food handlers to increase their awareness on storage and preparation of food items. "The first workshop conducted at the municipality centre at Al Kifaf was attended by 100 people. We will continue to have more workshops in the coming days with the participation of more food handlers," she said.
Al Ali emphasised that consumers have an equal responsibility to ensure proper handling of egg-related products. A survey conducted by the municipality, Al Ali said results showed that 71 per cent of respondents were aware of safe use of eggs.
"While shopping, it is always safe to pick up eggs and frozen meats at the end. When you purchase eggs, take it home directly without keeping it outside for long periods of time," said Al Ali.
She added the ideal storage of eggs would be in special compartments inside the fridge, not in the fridge's door that exposes products to different temperatures once it opens. "Make sure the eggs aren't mixed with ready-to-eat food inside the fridge," she said.
Al Ali also recommended to avoid washing eggs before cooking them. "Washing eggs can allow bacteria to insert through the pores." She stressed that if stored at cool temperatures and cooked well, eggs are completely safe and healthy to consume.
The department is launching a social media campaign to educate the public about safe storage and cooking of eggs. Vouchers of Dh1,000 at Lulu Hypermarkets will be offered to winners.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

How to know if an egg is fresh

1. If you're willing to eat an under-cooked egg, make sure you pick it fresh
2. Check the shelf life through the dates usually stamped on the egg itself
3. Pick up eggs that are stored right in the refrigerator (5-10 degree Celsius is ideal)
4. Once you crack an egg in the pan, a thick white must be detected. If the egg white spreads out, it indicates the egg isn't fresh.
5. If you crack the egg in room temperature water and it sinks, it is not fresh. A fresh egg would float.

How to make safe egg purchase:

1. Always buy well-refrigerated eggs
2. Avoid buying dirty or cracked eggs
3. Check date of production for maximum freshness
4. Buy eggs from trustworthy sources
5. Purchase eggs towards the end of your shopping trip
6. Store eggs inside the coolest area of your refrigerator, not the fridge's door
7. Don't wash the egg before cooking it to avoid bacteria coming in through the pores.

• Dubai

Sherouk Zakaria

• sherouk@khaleejtimes.com