Davidson's Pasteurized Shell Eggs Begin U.S. Roll-Out; New Pasteurization Process Eliminates All Salmonella Without Changing Taste.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

LACONIA, N.H.--(BW HealthWire)--May 17, 2000

May is National Egg Month and, just in time, safer eggs are coming to market. Pasteurized Eggs, L.P. has begun rolling out pasteurized shell eggs under the brand Davidson's Pasteurized Eggs(TM). The eggs are available in major supermarket retailers on the East Coast, currently exclusively at Harris Teeter, Giant Food, Giant Eagle, and ShopRite.

The new Davidson's Pasteurized Eggs(TM) are pasteurized through an all-natural process that effectively destroys salmonella bacteria inside the shell. The eggs pass through a series of clean warm water baths which provide just enough heat to kill the bacteria without cooking the eggs. The eggs carry the Good Housekeeping Seal.

"Our patented pasteurization process delivers an egg that looks, cooks, and tastes exactly the same as an unpasteurized egg," says L. John Davidson of Pasteurized Eggs, L.P. "The difference is that we effectively eliminate all the harmful bacteria and deliver an egg that people can eat any way they wish with full peace of mind and confidence that the egg is safe."

Pasteurized eggs virtually eliminate the risk of salmonella poisoning from raw or soft cooked eggs. The Centers for Disease Control estimates 76 million Americans become ill and 5,000 die annually from food poisoning, including nearly 600 Americans from salmonella. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) projects that the number of cases of illnesses from shell eggs due to Salmonella enteriditis poisoning alone will continue to rise from an estimated 660,000 cases each year.

Most at risk from illness caused by salmonella are children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems -- about 30 percent of the U.S. population overall.

Davidson's Pasteurized Eggs(TM) are coming into the market as the government proposes new egg safety standards. In a December weekly radio address, President Clinton proposed steps that the government would take to ensure food safety, stating that "new technologies like in-shell pasteurization will help keep eggs safe and free of bacteria".

The new eggs will be supplied by Connecticut-based Kofkoff Egg Farm, an industry leader, which has formed a subsidiary that will supply eggs from a new facility in South Carolina, to be followed by additional facilities located in Maryland and Connecticut.

Pasteurized Eggs, L.P. will continue its roll-out to supermarkets across the country throughout the next year, and will also begin supplying eggs to hospitals, hotels and restaurant chains.

Davidson's Pasteurized Eggs(TM) are produced by Pasteurized Eggs, L.P., a privately owned New Hampshire-based company. Pasteurized Eggs, L.P. pasteurizes shell eggs of the highest quality on a large commercial scale, using a process approved by the FDA and the USDA. Information about the company can be found at www.davidsonseggs.com.