But it's important to keep in mind that the strain of salmonella in Europe that killed a bunch of chickens and caused the UK vaccinations has not reached US. Yet.
Whats so good about the US strain of salmonella that 150,000 Americans get each year? Doesn't it make you ill or kill people?
That number is 120 times the number in the UK (per person).
Which do you prefer, the UK egg production method without refrigeration, with each egg individually date and time stamped, printed with an identification number showing where it was produced - or good all fashioned AMERICAN salmonella?
I think making every egg traceable back to the farmer was a bigg step towards the eradication of salmonella. If the flock is infected its quickly slaughtered.
If America was just like Europe what would be the point of moving from Europe. Refrigerate your Eggs!
Only about one-third of farmers here choose to inoculate their flocks. Farmers cite cost as the main reason not to opt for vaccination -FDA estimates say it would cost about 14 cents a bird. The average hen produces about 260 eggs over the course of her lifetime.
Without the assurance that American egg-laying hens have been vaccinated against salmonella, it's prudent to store our eggs in the fridge, just in case.