Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs FAQ

Why Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs?

When it comes to food safety, eggs are a food to take seriously. Salmonella bacteria in food cause more than 1 million illnesses, more than 19,000 hospitalizations, and 378 deaths in the US every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among bacteria, Salmonella are the number-one cause of foodborne illness. Did you know that 4 out of 5 Salmonella Enteritidis foodborne illness (food poisoning) cases come from raw or undercooked eggs? This makes egg safety a crucial part of your wellness plan. As we've seen from egg recalls, this is because eggs can be contaminated with Salmonella on the farm. The Safest Choice™ egg pasteurization process eliminates the risk of Salmonella and other dangerous microbes like Avian flu virus.

When you prevent Salmonella from entering your kitchen, you eliminate the risk of spreading the bacteria to other foods though your ordinary food handling and surfaces like countertops, and cookware. Called cross contamination, spreading germs in the kitchen is one of the ways dangerous microbes like Salmonella that cause foodborne illness get into other foods and are a main cause of food poisoning, according to the CDC.

Where can I find your eggs?

You can find Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs at more than 3000 grocery stores across the US. See the Store locator.

What benefits do your Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs give me… since they cost more than non-pasteurized eggs?

Because Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs are pasteurized, we've eliminated the risk of harmful Salmonella bacteria and viruses. This means you can prepare our eggs any way you'd like, and you don't have to worry about direct exposure to Salmonella or egg-related cross contamination in your kitchen. Why risk getting yourself, family, or friends sick?

Why do you use a wax coating on your pasteurized eggs?

We apply a thin layer of food-grade wax to seal in the freshness of our egg and to further keep out any harmful bacteria the eggs could encounter once they leave our facility. This wax coating is barely noticeable and completely safe.

Why is the red Circle P stamped on your pasteurized eggs?

We mark our eggs with a red Circle P at the end of the pasteurization process. Always look for the red Circle P and you'll know the egg you're using has been pasteurized by the Safest Choice™ precision pasteurization method. Enjoy them -- even raw.

Why would I use your pasteurized eggs when I can use liquid eggs that are pasteurized?

Liquid eggs are also pasteurized, thus safe for many applications in place of regular eggs. However, with liquid eggs, you cannot prepare fried eggs over easy or sunny-side up, nor can you poach or soft boil liquid eggs. Many culinary techniques just won't work with liquid eggs. Finally, the processing liquid eggs go through changes the flavor significantly. Pasteurized eggs taste great and are great to use when you can't compromise a recipe that calls for real eggs. Pasteurized eggs are also a simplified and exact measure, as many recipes call for number of eggs, not ounces or cups of eggs. They're a great solution for egg safety.

Where do you get the eggs you pasteurize?

All of our eggs arrive within 48 hours from family-owned and operated, USDA-inspected farms.

What do your hens eat?

The hens that lay our eggs are fed a corn and soy-based diet that contains no animal byproducts or animal fats.

Are your hens fed hormones?

No. Our farms do not use hormones for any of their hens.

Are your hens cage free?

We protect public health by pasteurizing safe eggs in both cage free and conventional egg options under the Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs brand.  The hens that lay our eggs are kept in a housing system that adheres to the strict guidelines of the United Egg Producer Animal Welfare Plan, and our cage free eggs come from a separate egg farm that adheres to cage free standards.

Are your eggs fertile?

No. Generic eggs are not fertile. They are the reproductive product of the laying hen that has not had contact with a male rooster. Eggs that are sold as fertile eggs signify that a rooster was present when the eggs were laid and can be incubated and possibly developed into chicks. Fertile eggs are not more nutritious than non-fertile eggs, do not keep as well as non-fertile eggs, and are more expensive to produce. Fertile eggs may contain a small amount of male hormone, but there are no known advantages to fertile eggs.

Why are the yolks in your eggs brighter yellow than other eggs?

The color of the egg yolk is dependent upon the feed of the hen. The corn and soy-based vegetarian diet we feed our hens helps create the deep yellow egg yolk.

In what sizes do you offer Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs?

Currently, we offer Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs these ways:

• In grocery stores, you can buy our eggs as Large, 1 dozen per pack – regular or cage free
• In foodservice, you can buy our eggs as Medium, Large or Extra Large in 15 dozen cases packed loose in foodservice flats—regular or cage free eggs.

Can I have some coupons for your eggs?

Yes! Visit our coupon page.

How far past the sell-by date can I use Safest Choice™ eggs?

Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs are good for 6-8 weeks after the sell-by date. You can safely eat pasteurized eggs after this period of time; however, they will not have the same farm-fresh taste and will not cook up as nicely as they will before the 6-8 week mark.

Why don't Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs have the warning label that most eggs have about keeping eggs refrigerated?

Great question! The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published an egg labeling rule in 2000 requiring that egg packages contain this info on the label: "SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria: keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly." When you check egg cartons in your grocery store, you'll see one exception: pasteurized eggs. This is because the FDA rule says, "Eggs that have been pasteurized while in the shell have been treated specifically to kill all live Salmonella and, therefore, are not subject to this regulation."

How We Pasteurize Safest Choice™ Eggs

Using a patented, all natural process, National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc. produces Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs for you, available through grocery stores and food-safe dining establishments throughout the nation, including many healthcare organizations. In fact, the unique safety and wholesome quality of fresh pasteurized eggs has begun catching on in other parts of the world, too.

Pasteurization eliminates the risk of Salmonella bacteria and viruses like Avian influenza. Yet Safest Choice™ eggs look, cook, and taste just like other eggs. Here's the story:

• The Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs process starts with the arrival of clean, farm-fresh eggs on sanitized plastic flats from our USDA approved, certified and inspected farms.
• All eggs arrive from USDA inspected, family owned and operated farms and are delivered within 72 hours of being laid.
• Hens are fed diets that contain no hormones or antibiotics and no animal by-products are used.
• The eggs enter our patented pasteurization system, where the carriers transport the eggs to our clean, warm water baths.
• The eggs continue through the water baths, where precision time and temperature standards assure accurate pasteurization. The process destroys harmful bacteria without cooking the eggs.
• The eggs move on automated carriers where they receive an optical check that identifies and removes any damaged or cracked eggs.
• The eggs then are conveyed out of the pasteurization bath. We apply a food-grade wax protection over the egg shell. This wax acts as an additional seal to protect the eggs from absorption of any cross-contaminants that otherwise could pass through the shell's thousands of open pores.
• Next, the eggs receive a red Circle P stamp identifying them as pasteurized by the Safest Choice™ precision pasteurization method.
• This finished product is then packed, moved to coolers, brought to below 45°F, and is ready for shipment.

The Safest Choice™ pasteurization facilities and production are managed under controlled HACCP (rigorous food safety) procedures, adhering to defined Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for safe food processing. They also meet Circle U Kosher approval standards.

Look for the circle "P"

Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs eliminate the risk and dangers of egg-borne illness caused by Salmonella bacteria. Yet Safest Choice™ eggs look, cook, and taste just like other eggs.