How to Recognize Food Poisoning Illness | Prevent Food Poisoning Hazards

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Egg Dishes & Sauces to be Wary of

At a Restaurant

 

 

There are a number of egg based foods and sauces that call for either raw eggs or only minimal cooking or heating of the eggs.  These include:

  • Raw batter, filling, or cookie dough made with raw eggs
  • Eggnog and other egg-fortified beverages that are not thoroughly cooked
  • Homemade and fresh-made dressings and sauces made with raw eggs
  • Caesar salad dressing
  • Béarnaise sauce
  • Hollandaise sauce
  • Aioli sauce
  • Homemade Mayonnaise
  • Homemade ice cream
  • Mousse
  • Meringue
  • Tiramisu

California just recently changed their state law banning restaurants from using raw unpasteurized eggs.  Many states will follow this requirement if they haven’t already.  Check with you local Environmental Health Food Inspection Program .

The law in California states that for raw shell eggs that are prepared in response to a consumer’s order and for immediate service the eggs must be heated to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F or above for 15 seconds, or if not for immediate service, raw eggs and foods containing raw eggs must be heated to a minimum internal temperature of 155 ° F for 15 seconds.  This second condition applies to all those egg based foods noted above. 

If you plan on ordering any of these foods or sauces or see them on the menu, my advice is to either stay away from them or confirm with certainty with your server, manager or the cook that they are using some type of pasteurized egg product in place of raw eggs.   Pasteurization is a special heating process just enough to kill common and sufficient numbers of microorganisms without affecting the quality of the food.  Pasteurized eggs can now be purchased in three possibly ways: fresh whole shell eggs(look at the label or stamp on the egg itself), liquid eggs and frozen eggs.

 

There was an outbreak (August 2007) at a popular restaurant in Los Angeles where at least 40 people were confirmed to have contracted Salmonella which was linked to Hollandaise sauce made with undercooked, unpasterized eggs, even though the law had already taken effect.  A reporter for the Los Angeles Times reported his painful experience with this illness in the paper. 

The lesson to take away is not to trust that the restaurant is complying with the law but to ask questions, observe and do your own investigating if need be to assure you and your family are protected, especially if you can’t stay away from these higher risk foods.

About the Author

Michael Doom worked as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) for Los Angeles County for more than 21 years. For most of these years he worked as a field inspector and Supervising Senior REHS in the retail food inspection programs. His experience within Los Angeles County has taken him to some of the smallest “mom and pop” restaurants and markets in the poorest areas of south Los Angeles, as well as to the largest facilities and affluent areas on the west side. He has literally conducted thousands of inspections of numerous types of restaurants, food markets, warehouses, events, and more; educated hundreds, if not more than a thousand, food facility owners, managers and employees on food sanitation and food safety, and how to prevent food poisoning hazards; has supervised more than 50 field inspectors that were responsible for an inventory of food facilities larger than many U.S. states.

Mr. Doom has a B.S. in Biology from Loyola Marymount University, an REHS with the state of California, holds a Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential from the Project Management Institute, and a Masters Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University.  Mr. Doom continuously works to expand his knowledge and experience in the subject of food safety, sanitation and food poisoning prevention.

He can be reached at Mike@foodpoisoningprevention.com