University students are safe from dangers associated with the egg recall from two Iowa egg farms, according to LSU Dining.
Wright County Egg Farms and Hillandale Farms announced a voluntary egg recall for salmonella contamination earlier this month.
The recall caused many Americans to take a cautious step away from eggs.
“None of the eggs that have been recalled for salmonella contamination have touched campus, let alone the company we receive our food from,” said David Heidke, director of LSU Dining and Concessions.
Heidke said LSU Dining uses shell eggs that are “cage free,” which is a more humane way to harvest eggs. Cage-free shell eggs come from chickens not contained in a coop.
The eggs that have been affected by and are under recall are caged eggs.
Heidke said LSU Dining uses liquid pasteurized egg whites along with cage free shell eggs. The pasteurization process makes eggs much more food safe.
“The amount of outbreaks that have occurred over the past year has been more than normal. It has grown almost four times worse,” Heidke said.
Theresia Lavergne, associate professor for the School of Animal Sciences, said the recall on eggs produced by the Iowa farms had already been in place by the time any of the eggs reached Louisiana.
“Since the recall, Louisiana has had no cases of illness,” Lavergne said.
Lavergne also said although some recalled eggs made it to Louisiana retailers, they were pulled from the shelves immediately. In most cases, the eggs did not reach the shelves at all.
The University has repeatedly stated the contamination has not affected Louisiana or LSU.
“Less than 1 percent of all eggs produced are under recall  — so the likelihood of what is about one in every 20,000,” Lavergne said.
Lavergne said salmonella is killed when cooked properly, and people should cook eggs completely with no liquid in the yoke and the white without run.
Any perishable food item should be cooked and prepared properly. All food should be kept in a clean environment to keep bacteria away from the food and preventing foodborne illnesses, Lavergne said.
The Food and Drug Association announced a regulation that will cut down a large number of all foodborne illnesses and deaths that would be caused by salmonella-contaminated eggs. This new regulation will require new cautionary procedures in the poultry houses as well as during travel and refrigeration.
Heidke believed it had been far too long since the FDA made improvements to its rules and regulations.
“It is their responsibility to prevent these types of outbreaks from happening,” Heidke said.