As I Recall

There has been quite a lot of news concerning food recalls in the past few years topped off by last week's cantaloupe (it's really a muskmelon) recall for Salmonella contamination. Those of us in the food industry tend to keep up-to-date on recalls, but I wondered how much anyone else knows or understands about them.

A recall is a voluntary removal of product from the market; it could be due to contamination, adulteration, or misbranding. You noticed I said voluntary? Yep, these are voluntary actions taken by the manufacturer; the law doesn't authorize the FDA or USDA to order a recall, but I'll explain that in more detail in a bit. Depending on the food in question, it will fall under the jurisdiction of the USDA or FDA. Meat, poultry and most egg products belong to the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) division of the USDA, all other food products belong to the FDA (along with animal feed, vet supplies, medical devices, human drugs & cosmetics). The process for recalls and the recall levels are essentially the same for both agencies. They rank from least severe to most severe as follows:

• Market Withdrawal - minor violation not subject to legal action
• Class III - exposure to violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences (Examples: mold, yeast, off-flavor, leaking container)
• Class II - exposure to violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible health consequence or where serious health consequence is remote (Examples: hard or sharp object 7m - 25mm in size, Staphlococcus, unapproved color added)
• Class I - exposure to violative product has reasonable probability of causing adverse health consequence or death (Examples: botulinum toxin, Salmonella, Listeria, undeclared allergens present)

The Class I recalls are the ones you see, hear, and read about in the news, but all recalls are posted; the FDA recalls can be found here and FSIS recalls can be found here. Although the press often reports that the FDA 'ordered' a recall, as I stated before, the truth is recalls are almost always initiated by the company who calls the FDA and explains the issue.

Recalls can be requested by the FDA (or USDA) who may find a problem during an inspection or after receiving a report of a problem from a consumer or the CDC (Center for Disease Control). If a company does not recall a product on their own the FDA can ask a judge for the right to have a U.S. Marshall seize the product and/or issue an injunction against the company to stop the production or distribution of the product. Believe me, it is very rare for a company to refuse to recall a product after notification of a problem from the FDA. No company wants to have defective material out in the marketplace. Even voluntary recalls have put companies out of business - just imagine what the press would be like for a company who refused a recall!

There are strict guidelines for companies to follow concerning recall procedures outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, which those so inclined can find here. What is important to know & understand is that there are rules in place for how a company handles a recall and what information is shared with both the FDA and the public at large. It is also important to know that the FDA (and yes USDA) follows-up on all recalls to make sure that the recalled product is accounted for and properly disposed. The FDA also makes sure a corrective-action has taken place so they and the company know how & why the problem occurred. I'll talk a bit more about what programs companies have in place to avoid a recall next week, but for those who are interested in food safety, this is a cool blog from the International Food Safety Network to tide you over!

This is Eggcelent

Wow this Sunday is Easter; its hard to believe how early it is this year. So, let me get right to this week's topic - Eggs. Christians are not the only ones who have ties to the egg during this season; Jews and Persians also use eggs as symbols during the spring. The egg symbolizes new life, a new beginning. It is why it is used to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus on Easter, new life and the Passover sacrifice at the Passover Seder, and the new year which begins at the spring equinox during Persian Nowrooz. Given that the egg holds such a place of honor, I thought it deserving of a little blog time.

The egg is a marvel of engineering, not to mention a pretty amazing piece of nutrition. Let's start from the inside out. The yolk, as the source of nutrition in a fertilized egg for the developing chick, is a rich source of calories from fat, iron, phosphorous, calcium, vitamin A, some of the vitamin Bs, and vitamin D. It also contains lecithin, a natural emulsifier. The yolk is suspended inside the egg by the chalazae - the opaque white "ropes" you see in the egg whites. The egg whites are more correctly termed the albumin (from the latin albus meaning white) and are not homogeneous. There are four alternating layers of thick and thin albumin and there are multiple proteins that comprise the egg albumin. These different albumin proteins all have different coagulation temperatures, which we will get back to in a bit. Between the albumin and the shell are two membranes and between those two membranes is an air cell. Last but not least is the shell, a mix of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and calcium phosphate. While it looks solid, it actually has around 17,000 pores which make it semi-permeable and allow air and moisture to migrate in and out of the shell.

But before you can decorate all of those eggs for Easter, you'll have to hard-cook them. You'll notice I didn't say hard-boil them, that is because boiling eggs is a really bad idea. The different albumin proteins start to coagulate (cook) at 145°F with the last proteins coagulating at 183°F and the yolk coagulates around 160-165 °F, so the boiling temperature of 212°F is way too high. Boiling will over cook both the albumin, causing the whites to be tough and rubbery, and the yolk causing it to be dry and mealy. The temperature of the water should never be above a bubble-less simmer of 180-185°F and the eggs, depending on their size, should not need to be cooked for more than 10-15 minutes.

I also recommend starting your cooking with room temperature eggs placed into cold water and adding salt and a teaspoon to tablespoon (depends on how many eggs you are cooking) of vinegar. The salt & vinegar help to coagulate any albumin that may leak out of hairline cracks in the shell and help to prevent the green-gray ring that sometimes is seen around the yolk. That ring happens when the hydrogen sulfide gas (produced from the sulfur in the amino acids) from the albumin reacts with the iron in the yolk to create ferrous sulfide. Adjusting the pH of the solution of the water via the vinegar reduces the production of the hydrogen sulfide gas, and thus the potential for the green ring. The last thing is getting them immediately into a bowl of ice water once they are done cooking; keep them immersed in the ice water, adding more ice if necessary, for 15-20 minutes. This will both help prevent the green ring, and shrink the cooked egg away from the shell so they are easier to peel. Once you have your hard-cooked eggs, they should be refrigerated, where they will last easily for one week.

I hope you enjoyed this piece on the egg, and that whatever holiday you celebrate in the spring, that it is wonderful and an expression of the bounties of life that make this time of year so special!