Eggs from smaller flocks of birds more likely to carry Salmonella enteritidis

Contrary to popular belief that eggs from small local enterprises are safer than those produced commercially, researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences found that eggs from small flocks of birds are more likely to carry Salmonella enteritidis. Salmonella usually contaminates egg shells and has caused many outbreaks in humans. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires farms with more than 3,000 chickens be in compliance with certain rules that aim at restricting the growth of pathogens. However, small flocks usually do not observe these rules. When researchers conducted tests on eggs from 240 randomly selected farmers markets, they found that 2% of the eggs were contaminated. This is way higher than the contamination found in eggs from large flocks of birds. Since there is a growing popularity of farm produced eggs, the researchers believe that their findings will help create awareness that these might not always be safe for consumption.

Read more in Science Daily.