Eggs Recall

If you have eggs in your refrigerator with sell-by dates between July 24th to September 11th, you might want to take a closer look at the carton they came in before scrambling them up for breakfast tomorrow morning. 

As of August 22, over 450 million eggs from two Iowa farms were recalled by the FDA due to possible Salmonella contaminated egg shells. These eggs were distributed to many large chain grocery stores. Now, before you start panicking because you shop at one of these stores, make sure to check the plant code on the side of the egg carton to see if your eggs are at risk. (Not all eggs at these stores have been recalled; only ones from the aforementioned farms should be noted.) Besides the obvious waste of good protein, let's take a look at the economic loss generated by this massive recall. 

During my most recent trip to Ralphs, I noted that a carton of 18 Ralphs-brand eggs costs $2.59. By doing some elementary math, we find that the price per egg is roughly 14 cents. Now let's multiply this unit price by 450 million. Drum roll please...the total monetary value of the 450 million recalled eggs is roughly $63 million! (Notice that I emphasize MONETARY value here, because of course, Salmonella contaminated eggs have no economic value because they cannot be utilized, or consumed.) On top of this enormous figure, lawsuits have been filed for serious illnesses and deaths related to the egg-induced Salmonella outbreak. These are some expensive eggs!

A more serious problem that came out of this year's egg recall is food control and oversight. Austin DeCoster,   owner of both of the guilty Iowa farms, already had a history of environmental and labor violations before this outbreak, yet he was still able to operate his businesses. The thought is sickening. Unless you are growing and raising all your food sources in your backyard yourself, one really has to ask: Who is supplying the food in this country? Where are the FDA and USDA inspectors? 

As consumers, we unfortunately lack the ability to monitor our food sources 100%. Sometimes, we just don't know EXACTLY what we are putting into our mouths, and that is a scary thought. However, we can be preventive and educate ourselves about food safety and handling. Here are some FAQs and handling tips on eggs. 

I guess it doesn't really matter which came first this time; the chicken wins.

Welcome

When it came time to pick a topic of interest to blog about, FOOD was the first thing that came to my mind. Growing up in China, I often heard my relatives recite the Chinese proverb, "Food is the first necessity of man". 

It is true. 

Not only do we physically NEED food to survive, food also has great economic and cultural impacts. A few fun facts:

- According to July 2010 industry reports by First Research, the US wholesale food distribution industry has an estimated annual revenue of $670 billion.

- 20 years ago, an average sized bagel is about three inches in diameter. Today, it is five to six inches.

- The normal dinner time in the US is around 7:45pm. In Spain, people usually won't start chowing down until 9:30pm. 

No, I will not be telling you what I ate for breakfast. (Although if you must know, my daily regiment consists of Special K cereal with soy milk, a banana, and a hard-boiled egg.) Nor will I be posting recipes that will make you drool all over your keyboard simply by reading the ingredient list. 

I will, however, be focusing more on the business, cultural, political, nutritional, technological, and media aspects of food. I hope that my blog will provide all you food lovers out there value that recipe books and food diaries do not. Next time before you pick up your fork and knife, remember, there is much more to food than what you are about to put in your mouth.