This is what I found today when I opened my pack of eggs.

Up until now I hadn’t really thought about eggs, although last week one of my eggs had a blob of dirt on it, and while I washed it off, I wondered if it was really dirt or something else.    So after I find the fuzzy egg today, I did a quick google, and I find that only recently pasteurized eggs have become available here in Singapore, and even then, only in a couple market shops.   May 2013.  That’s when you could first buy a safe egg in Singapore.

So it’s true, the eggs I have been bringing into my home are right from the farm!  They are sold in the markets, at room temperature.   What farm???  There are no farms in Singapore!  I think they must come from Malaysia, but I don’t know this for certain.  I like farm fresh eggs, in fact, I prefer them.  BUT, when living in a region of the world where the bird flu is very real and very scary, I prefer my eggs to be pasteurized.

Here is a copy of the news article, it’s interesting!

SINGAPORE – Good news if you are particular about how long your eggs can stay fresh: In a first here, eggs pasteurised with their shells are now sold in several major supermarkets.

Home-grown egg producer N&N Agriculture has been selling such eggs in the chiller sections of Sheng Siong, Ang Mo and selected outlets of Cold Storage and Giant since the end of last month.

The company said that such eggs, marked with a “P”, are completely free of salmonella bacteria, which are major causes of food-borne illness.

The pasteurisation process – which involves putting the eggs through a warm-water bath for a period of time without cooking the eggs – kills off bacteria in the eggs and on the shells.

Salmonella, often found in meat, eggs and dairy products, can cause fever, stomach cramps and diarrhoea. The bacteria are destroyed if the eggs are thoroughly cooked.

N&N also said the eggs can stay fresh for 60 to 120 days when chilled.

Unpasteurised eggs refrigerated in their raw shells can last 28 to 35 days, according to the American Egg Board’s website.

N&N said the eggs’ freshness can be prolonged as they are sealed with protective wax after pasteurisation to prevent air and bacteria from contaminating them.

A carton of 10 pasteurised eggs starts from $3.10, depending on the size of the eggs. The eggs contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as vitamin E, because of the diet the hens are fed.

Previously, the only pasteurised eggs in the markets came as liquid products.

When contacted, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore said N&N is the first local poultry farm to carry out pasteurisation of in-shell eggs, and such eggs are the first sold here. The company’s work is supported by the authority’s Food Fund, which aims to build resilience in Singapore’s food supply.

Mr Ma Chin Chew, chief executive officer of N&N said the company wants to show that by prolonging the shelf life of eggs, supply will not be disrupted, “even during outbreaks (of diseases) like the bird flu”.

 

I’ll be looking for these chilled eggs, the last thing we need in my family is a case of the bird flu.   This will (hopefully) be the last fuzzy egg I find!!