Patented Technology
Beginning in 1985, Dr. James P. Cox and R.W. Duffy Cox of Lynden, WA began developing methods to pasteurize shell eggs. They discovered that precise time and temperature protocols were capable of successfully destroying dangerous Salmonella both inside and outside the shell without cooking the egg. In 1991, Dr. Cox filed the first U.S. patent application, entitled "Hyperpasteurization of Food", for protection on their unique and specific methods for pasteurizing shell eggs. Over the next 16 years, numerous additional U.S. and world wide patents were filed and issued on Dr. Cox's vision of shell eggs safe from Salmonella. During these years Cox and other investors commissioned engineers and scientists to advance this technology from a small volume batch process to a continuous pasteurization system that incorporates the Cox time and temperature precision in the pasteurization of large production quantities of all sizes of shell eggs. To ensure superior accuracy the process technology was expanded to include proprietary computer software technology that maintains and monitors this unsurpassed precision pasteurization. The efforts which created today’s advanced process represent many years of commitment and support from many individuals and in excess of $30 million in research, development, infrastructure, equipment, facility and market introduction costs.
The Davidson's Brand and National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc.
In the early 1990's the Coxes were introduced to L. John Davidson. Davidson recognized the market need and opportunity for a safer egg option for consumers and food operations around the country. Davidson acquired a license agreement on the technology from the Cox Family and formed Pasteurized Egg Corporation to introduce safe egg technology to the consumer marketplace. Pasteurized shell eggs were first produced in partnership with a large egg producer in the Carolinas, servicing a few surrounding Eastern states. Expansion into additional states was made possible by the licensing of the technology to an investment group in the Midwest called National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc. (NPE) of Illinois. NPE began producing pasteurized shell eggs in late 2001. Unfortunately, in 2002 Davidson and his investors in Pasteurized Eggs Corporation found the early stages of growth and marketing to be more costly than they could support and could not achieve profitability. In July of 2003, NPE purchased all U.S. and international intellectual property, processing rights, assets and technological know-how of this egg pasteurization technology. NPE chose to further emphasize the true safety value the process brings to shell eggs, launching, Davidson's Safest Choice® in October 2003.
Soon after, NPE began to build a sales and marketing team to introduce this safe egg option nationally to many foodservice operators, chain restaurants and distributors who found these eggs to be a tremendous step toward improving the food safety in their restaurants while assuring their guests protection from the risks of egg-related Salmonella.
Process and Technology Verification
The FDA was aware that raw shell eggs were already posing a public health concern establishing in 1994 a U.S. standard for shell egg pasteurization. This standard was set at a minimum requirement of 5 logarithmic reduction of Salmonella bacteria inside the egg. The objective was to set a level that will ensure all viable destruction of egg-related bacteria subsequently ensuring pasteurized eggs are safe to consume even in their raw state. In 1994, the NPE process and protocols of pasteurization were confirmed in independent Silliker Laboratory studies. On May 22, 1995, the FDA provided a confirming letter to NPE that the company's pasteurization technology qualified for use of the term “pasteurized” when presenting the product to the marketplace because it successfully destroys Salmonella to beyond a 5 log reduction in all studies. The NPE studies verified that this superior process not only destroys the bacteria inside the egg, it ensures a greater than 5 log reduction of Salmonella throughout the yolk’s center and albumen (white) of an egg, making the eggs safe in every way--even raw!
Since the initial approvals, NPE has received additional audits and studies from USDA, Silliker Labs and Purdue University to further verify superior shelf life, safety and quality attributes available from our pasteurized eggs.
Since 2000, the FDA, CDC and FSIS/USDA have further embraced pasteurization technology by recommending pasteurized shell eggs in the U.S. Food Code as the safe alternative to shell eggs. These groups have regulated that pasteurized shell eggs be used as the safe alternative when serving any foods containing undercooked or raw eggs or when serving high risk individuals.
National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc. (NPE)
National Pasteurized Eggs, Inc. is a privately owned company headquartered in Lansing, Illinois. The Davidson’s Safest Choice® Pasteurized Shell Eggs brand has grown from sales in just a few states in 2003 to now providing delicious, safe, pasteurized shell eggs to retailers, consumers and restaurants across the U.S. and soon to countries around the globe.
Today, NPE leads the industry in educational efforts to reduce the illnesses and outbreaks from shell egg-related Salmonella. NPE is using the all-natural water bath pasteurization to ensure the accurate commercial scale production of pasteurized shell eggs. Only NPE uses this proprietary, continuous water bath system with its computerized process controls to assure there is no cooking of the eggs.
In the 20+ years since Dr. Cox began his studies, many additional patents and numerous other extensions to the original patents have been filed. Today, this portfolio of patents and technology is owned by National Pasteurized Eggs Inc. While, Dr. James P. Cox is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through the availability of safe, pasteurized shell eggs. R.W. Duffy Cox remains as part owner and Technical and Quality Advisor to NPE.
NPE's Davidson's Safest Choice® Pasteurized Shell Eggs are easily recognized by their trademark red Circle P on every package and every egg. The eggs are sold in many retail stores and are ensuring the safety of the eggs and egg dishes in hotels, restaurants, schools, universities, hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the U.S. For many nursing homes this has provided the opportunity to once again serve egg dishes and styles their residents prefer, such as sunny-side up, over easy or poached eggs.
NPE makes nature’s perfect food perfectly safe!
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