It's foolish to even compare eggs vs. oil. You can destroy bad eggs, you can't to the same with millions of gallons of oil and chemical dispersants.

A solution which can be compared to using a sledge hammer to kill flies? A six month moretorium of such a widely used perishable agricultural food would have catostophic effects on the nation's/world's food supply, create unprecedented market repercusions and destroy responsible egg producers with excellent food safety histories. Like the gulf drilling moretorium, an egg moretorium would recklessly endanger jobs, directly and indirectly, and also futher abuse legitqamate private enterprise - the backbone of our economy. The risk of illness from contaminated eggs is significantly reduced when eggs are cooked thoroughly (ref: egg safety instructions on egg packaging). FDA Egg Safety regulations for Salmonella Prevention went into effect July 2010. The end result is our nations' egg supply is now safer and more closely monotored than ever and now it's suggested we throw responsible producers to the wolves? There are over 300 million layers in the US, each contributing about one egg/day to our food chain. Eggs are wwith out doubt nature's most perfectly balanced source of protein and contibute wide range of unique health benefits.

Watch out women, you and your eggs might be next. This story has gone way overboard IMO. I hear about the danger of these eggs, yet, I haven't heard a peep of anyone getting sick. Just my observation here, and I am wondering what exactly is behind these so-called dangerous eggs?

Eggs are wwith out doubt nature's most perfectly balanced source of protein and contibute wide range of unique health benefits.

-until you fry or scramble them up, then it's just fat and cholesterol...

Read the label of ingredients on products you purchase.

Many products contain eggs as a necessary Ingredient.

know your chickens and then understand part of the problem....

Buy from farmers!!!!

Primarily chickens can be divided into three breeds:

• Pure Breeds
• Egg-laying Hybrids
• Mixed Hybrids

There are egg laying stock, meat type birds and dual-purpose breeds as well. The egg-laying breeds are genetically prepared to have high egg productivity but then because these birds have small bodies, they are poor meat producers. The meat type birds are not breeds in the true sense of the term. They are hybrids, which are actually combination of many breeds. They are prepared in such a way so that they have a larger mass thus they prove to be better meat producers. The dual purpose as the name suggests would be for producing egg as well as meat. In this category there are some breeds, which serve as better egg producer, and some as better meat producers.

Key word in egg producing chickens....genetically prepared !!!!!

The most serious problem with the FDA is that it is dominated by physicians. There are several problems with this:

1) Physicians simply do not have the education, training, or skillset to do the public advocacy required by the job. Margaret Hamburg is an MD. She is a career politician who has basically "learned by doing" at the taxpayers' expense. It is a very serious consideration that an MD is not equivalent in training or education to an earned (versus "awarded") PhD. PhD's are trained in research, and have demonstrated the full skillset in order to be granted a PhD and them must do years of post-doctoral work before being considered "independent." A physician graduated from a "school" with a vocational degree. Most actually have no college degree (intercalated) at all. Much of their training is OJT and their training in design, conducting, or evaluating clinical research is measured in hours. An MD is exactly equivalent to a JD (law) degree. The easy way to tell is this: An earned PhD can teach in any college or school within a university if they are qualified. For example, my wife is a PhD research psychologist, but has taught in Tier 1 business schools, medical schools, schools of social work and various graduate schools as well as psychology in colleges of arts and sciences. A lawyer or physician can only teach in the school from which they have a vocational degree. For example, a lawyer can only teach in a law school.)

2) Virtually all physicians in the FDA are receiving money from the for-profit drug industry, either directly or indirectly. Though required by law to disclose all financial ties, only about 20% have actually done so. Of that 20% virtually all were receiving money or "perks" that they declared.

3) Since the physicians running the FDA do not have the training to evaluate the scientific data involved, they must depend on the industry involved to tell them when they have screwed up. Egg producers must tell the FDA when they are selling eggs with salmonella, and drug companies must design, conduct, and evaluate their own drug trials as examples.

4) When you combine #1 and #2, you have a very serious potential conflict of interest situation. In many cases, this type of conflict of interest has led to situations where the for-profit entity has received unfair advantage at the disadvantage of the public. Think about it --- why did this come to light because the CDCP was reporting a huge spike in salmonella cases rather than because FDA inspections caught it? Could it be related to the fact that the egg producer was a company of very low repute who was "well-connected" in the poilitican establishment (including the FDA)?

5) And I hesitate to make one last point. I am a progressive and would like, as much as any American, to see women and African-Americans have work and pay parity with all other genders and races. But in this case, Pres. Obama appointed a Black woman to a job for which she was not qualified by any stretch of the imagination. No one should hold this post without a PhD and extensive credentials in the clinical and research skills necessary to tell BS from fact. No MD with no other degree has the proper skillset. I firmly believe that the issue of equality in the workplace is harmed when unqualified persons are put into such jobs. And, in this case, it was unnecessary. There are literally thousands of better-qualified women and I am certain that hundreds of them are African-American.

Well well imagine this happening in Iowa the home of the famous senator who is so beholden to the big Ag companies.

The government told who was responsible as he is the sole supplier to both egg factories (farms) one of which he owns

It would be fun if some one ask the respected senator to comment.

chris 157 whatever so tell us ol exalted one where your great knowledge comes from and who died and left you in charge

chicken sh*ts, just another conspiracy to mark-up eggs over $3.00 a dz. down the road ..i have noticed grocery prices spiking..not to mention, a plan to keep everyones Income Tax Refund......

and this a**hole is still in business how?

I could not agree more, take them all off the shelves, wait a few months then start all over again safely, WHY TAKE A CHANCE.

My Nephew had eggs, strawberries and a waffle yesterday and about 1 hour later started vomiting, should we speculate, just THROW THEM ALL AWAY, it's not worth it...

Night Hawk

know your chickens and then understand part of the problem....

Well, I met one on one of the dating web-sites, and hopefully we are going to be compatible. I like mine sunny-side up, but most likely she'll come with a scrambled brain.

lol

jp

i can barely understand your position but the truth is that more Americans could be more directly averse affected by bad eggs than they will be by the oil spill.

as Rod form illinois stated:

There are over 300 million layers in the US, each contributing about one egg/day to our food chain. Eggs are wwith out doubt nature's most perfectly balanced source of protein and contibute wide range of unique health benefits.

same rules should apply.

shut down production.

conduct a full investigation

post a full report on the results.

as Rod form illinois stated:

There are over 300 million layers in the US, each contributing about one egg/day to our food chain. Eggs are wwith out doubt nature's most perfectly balanced source of protein and contibute wide range of unique health benefits.

if they are good thats a lot of good eggs. if they are bad thats a lot of bad eggs.

worse case scenerio:

what would the results be if we put 300 million bad eggs a day onto grocery shelves.

because this is a repeat offender we must suppose that this can happen again.

because this is a repeat offender we may also speculate that there are many "bad eggs" that go thru the system un noticed.

because this is a repeat offender we must also assume that the system has a weak link.

as many have stated eggs are used in many foods.

maybe that cake that made you sick last week at aunt claira's b-day party had "bad eggs" in it.

or that cozy meal at the local restraunt that made you and your spouse sick had eggs in it.

it could happen therefor we must intervene and figure out why the USDA is OK with a bad food supply and demonstrates a great inability to perform their job that is being paid by tax paying citizens.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol5no5/mead.htm

To better quantify the impact of foodborne diseases on health in the United States, we compiled and analyzed information from multiple surveillance systems and other sources. We estimate that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths. Three pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths each year, more than 75% of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and 3,200 deaths. Overall, foodborne diseases appear to cause more illnesses but fewer deaths than previously estimated

Donna - it takes several hours, usually about 12 hours for salmonella, or any other type of food poisoning, to surface. If your nephew was vomiting an hour after eating it was either because of something he had eaten the night before or because of something else, not the eggs he ate yesterday. Also, if the eggs were thoroughly cooked, the salmonella would have been killed.

Ummm, has anyone at all read up on salmonella bacteria? It DIES after exposure to cooking heat.

This hoopla is so unnecessary. Recalling all these products so ridiculous. People are dying of starvation every minute of every day - even while I type this and you read this - three or four hundred have died including children.

We Americans are worried about a bacteria that is inside our own intenstines and that of most other mammals.

Need a science lesson?

To prevent Salmonella bacterial infection: (www(dot)about-salmonella(dot)com)

• Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly before eating. In order to insure that eggs do not contain viable Salmonella they must be cooked at least until the yoke is solid and meat and poultry must reach 160ºF or greater throughout. Pasteurized eggs are also available in some areas and for foodservice organizations (MMWR Weekly, 1996).
• Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs. Examples include homemade eggnog, hollandaise sauce, and undercooked French toast.
• Never drink raw (unpasteurized) milk.
• If you are served undercooked meat, poultry, or eggs in a restaurant don’t hesitate to send your food back to the kitchen for further cooking.
• Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with foods of animal origin.
• Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and those with a compromised immune system.
• Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, amphibians or birds, or after contact with pet feces. Infants and persons with compromised immune systems should have no direct or indirect contact with such pets.

That's all there is to it. For America to spend billions plus fuel to recall these eggs (and other products) whilst others starve is a travesty.

Cook your foods properly and unless you're an AIDS patient, young child, or elderly and frail you've probably already had a bout with salmonella and NOT EVEN KNOWN IT!

Sick of one sided media reporting . . . Aren't you?

hope;

I don't disagree with anything that you are saying; cook the food right and you should be ok. but i am concerned about this issue because all my life i enjoyed eating eggs and all the related products. about 3 years ago i began to get very sick eating anything that had eggs in it. i was diagnosed as having gall bladder issues; had it removed. i still get sick eating eggs. now they tell me that I'm allergic to them, which i find unusual because i have eaten eggs for many years and no problems. i cant help but wonder if there is something other than bacteria involved here?

The is ridiculous. Its the FDA wanted even more power. They are acting like the saved the world. Now they are trying to regulate personal responsibility. Because Idiots choose not to cook the eggs, businesses will go BK costing millions of dollars and many jobs. Let me see. If I choose to not to cook my chicken fully and get sick, its the mfrs fault? thank our govt. We now do not even have to be personally responsible. I saw the industry lose 40 million dollars and many jobs in the HVP recall where 0% of the food in the market was positive for Salmonella. The only positive was still in a mfr's plant and not in the market. GOVT at work

Hi Penn,

Definately there's some other factor in your case. I'd avoid eggs too if I were in your situation. Sometimes medical mysteries occur. The body suddenly becomes allergic to one substance or another for reasons unknown. Consider people who have sudden allergic reactions to milk, wheat, corn, gluten, peanuts, etc. It's a long list.

For whatever reason, your body doesn't like eggs. I hope your surgeon/doctor did not remove your gall bladder for nothing . . .

The sad fact of it is that the food we eat is significantly different than the food our ancestors ate. Hormones and Antibiotics in meat, Mercury in nearly all fish products and genetically modified foodstuffs that don't even make it to your label - so you do not even have a choice in the matter. So lets hear a good one about the morality of big business while I try and avoid being poisoned by my food. Over 200 years as a country and now about 1 in 150 or so is Autistic, There are more cases of diabetes than ever recorded in the past and people are beginning to physically develop earlier. I wonder how much money Con-agra and Northrup-King shelled out to make sure there was less regulation and a dramatic cutback on meat and poultry inspectors across the country? But no, it's that darn government stepping on the little guys with the factory farms and the slick lawyers and lobbyists. I feel just outraged at the injustice of people wanting to know that when they are making eggs or a spinach salad that it wont end up ruining their intestines or some sort of parasite.

we didn't have these problems when Bush was in office.

this is exactly what happens when government takes over our lives. good luck all and may God protect us from this socialist/tyrant government.

Penn - it is entirely possible you developed an allergy to eggs later in life. All allergies can occur at any time in life. Many food allergies develop after an overexposure to that particular food. A simple google search will help you find more information on food allergies in general as well as egg allergies and intolerances. I would suggest avoiding eggs though as many food allergies will become progressively worse overtime resulting in anaphylaxis.

If you are eating food with eggs in it that are thoroughly cooked, there would be no bacteria left to make you sick as bacteria dies at upper temperatures.

Actually there were innumerable food recalls during the Bush administration. do a little checking on the FDA site. These problems are a side effect of believing that companies can be trusted to place a higher regard on safety than on profits...

Cook the eggs properly and the bacteria dies.

*To better quantify the impact of foodborne diseases on health in the United States, we compiled and analyzed information from multiple surveillance systems and other sources. We estimate that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths. Three pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths each year, more than 75% of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and 3,200 deaths. Overall, foodborne diseases appear to cause more illnesses but fewer deaths than previously estimated.

*the egg problem has the potential to affect or otherwise sicken more people than the gulf spill.

take them off of the market before anyone else gets sick.

create a 6 month moratorium and launch a complete investigation to find out the cause and verify a remedy.

*how much money are these politicians getting paid by the egg producers to look the other way.

*illegal invader workforce

*not able to produce a clean useable product

*ignoring rules and regulations

does the FDA even monitor these egg production facilities.

**do they have rules and regulations or are they just operating "willy nilly" and doing pretty much whatever they want.

if forcing these egg producers to put a product on the shelf that is free of illness causing bacteria is going to cost an extra .50 cents a dozen then i'm all for it.

only 11 people died in the oil spill. every year 1500 people in the US die from Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma.

You are correct to a point , but for some of the important jobs out there that we NEED, they have cut back on personel.

So maybe a more nuanced argument for the teabaggers and conservatives would be: Not smaller government as a rule, but more effective government as a requirement.

mc the reason is because big Ag and all other interest are allowed by law to hire politicians and get the laws that they want in there area of interest

And thanks to guys like justice Allito corporations can now LEGALLY buy elections outright. Should be a great test of corporate responsibility and morality.

and this is why we need less regulations, smaller government.

Zaruski, are you HIGH? This is a case of classic American capitalism at work; profit at the expense of morality. This is also a case of incompetent government who should be enforcing the rules and regulations designed to stop idiots like DeCoster. How is this an argument for smaller government?

How is this an argument for smaller government.

Its not. He is just parroting something he has heard without any understanding of what it means. Lots of that going around lately.

Zaruski: So...if there isn't any regulation of food products, and your husband/kid/wife/parent is killed consuming unsafe/poisonous food you do what...warn other people not to buy from that person as "the market with take care of it" or go and shoot the business owner? *humph*

The idea that any business can function MORALLY without regulation is insane in this day/age. Actual enforcement of laws and purging the "buddy system" rampant in regulatory bodies is the way to go...I'm sure there are a few businesses that would keep things on the straight/narrow - but it would be a tiny minority.

This contaminated egg issue seems to be surprising everyone. People that live here in Iowa and close to the egg plant are not so surprised. DeCoster is well known here as a guy without a concience. He has taken advantage of the lack of inspection . This fellow understands money not concience or what is good for anyone but himself.. If there is a way to slide under the rock he will find a way. He is a criminal that has not been dealt the consequences he deserves. He continues to get slapped on the hand because we do not demand anything else. He will continue with what he knows he can get away with til our government gets on the ball to protect our food.

There are scads of problems with factory farms. Not the least of which is the potential for massive contamination of the food supply, Water and so on. But the Neocons would tell you things like this just don't happen and we should sit down and shut up when it comes to actual regulation and enforcement.

Well you have just displayed your ignorance in this matter. If it were that easy don't you think they would have already done that. They are still trying to figure out how and where it started and if in fact any other plants are involved or have contaminated eggs. The heath of the american people is far more important than your personal needs or opinions.

Mike, I agree with the poster.

Not that this isn't a concern, but it is hardly an American health issue. I think the annual number of people in the US that get food poisoning, of this nature) is in the 10 of millions per year.

For those that say gov't should save us and stop all such incidents...just get out your checkbook if you think life is risk free...they could do it, all it would require is doubling the price of food. I am satisfied with the current level of oversight myself.

russ no where did they say that they would recall all eggs

Just trace where the eggs from these two operations went

I live in Iowa, love my eggs over easy and have continued to eat eggs all throught this "crisis" and haven't been sick at all. Know where your eggs come from and you won't get sick!

This DeCoster and his father were protected for years by a Republican Govenor here who gave us nothing but factory farms that polute with reckless abandon (chickens & pigs), Casino and minimum wage jobs. Every time they tried to regulate this guy all his republicans friends squeeled like a pig on how regulations are bad for business. It was only once the Democrats got in control of State agencies that they started to put heat on him and he was declared a Habitual Violator.

Now this same guy is running for Governor again(Braindead....ah... I mean Branstad), he wins and we'll be back where where in the 80's and 90's low wage jobs and no regulation of anything.

So what happens to this Decoster person anyway? Is he liable to those his products got sick? Fines? Are his workers documented? What is being done with the waste produced by this facility? Has the source of the contamination been confirmed and if so why has it not been disclosed? Irregardless of your feelings about government involvement I have a real problem if my food supply has to have the warning of "Let the buyer beware"

kill all of the chickens and start over with a new batch. it is the chickens that are infected. kill them all and save the life of a child.

kill all of the chickens and start over with a new batch. it is the chickens that are infected. kill them all and save the life of a child.

Why punish the chickens who cannot even control their own fate? If it has gotten to this point then its our own damn fault for demanding eggs so much. The chickens suffer for it, they live in horrible conditions. Buy from local farmers who have their chickens in a free-range environment

Previous citations are exactly the point. The citations don't carry enough weight to stop production. Those with citations are experienced with coverup methods and surprise investigations should be allowed. A $25,000 fine means nothing, especially to conglomerates.

It's easy to criticize but please don't do it with two left feet! It's obvious from comments being posted that too many are concerned with profit over safety. Callous attitudes are not acceptable!

it's easier to stop a chicken from laying an egg than it is to pay the note on a 60 million dollar oil rig when the government tells you to sit there for 6 months with no income.

kill all of teh chickens and start over with a new batch. it is the chickens that are infected. kill them all and save the life of a child.

I honestly don't think there's too many, if any, chicken farms involved where they are raising chickens both for egg production and for slaughtering. Completely different type of operation.

Also, when you cook chicken you cook it all the way (I don't know of anyone that would consider eating rare or raw chicken except my cat) Cooking it fully will destroy the salmonella.

Eggs on the other hand are not always cooked fully (over easy anyone?). Therein lies the problem with people getting sick.

I live in Iowa. These eggs ARE local!

Greg I also live in Iowa, those eggs are not local. Find a farmer who raises his own chickens for egss. Ever hear of Farm Fresh Eggs?

...and Decoster treated his chickens better than the human migrant workers he held "captive" by providing undesirable living conditions for these workers on his farm in Maine. And we can see he does not treat his chickens very well, with this recent outbreak. We thought he was out of business.... if he isn't now, he should be!!

The television news today said the cause appears to be mice.

You misunderstood dear, they actually meant RATS. The kind that scurry around the halls of the capitol building in Washington.

How about the starving people here in our own country???

Proper cooking destroys this bacteria.

This issue is a non-issue.

Try this same scary tactic on beef. Don't we all know we need to properly cook various meats to avoid illness. Even meat with salmonella, WHEN PROPERLY COOKED, is harmless.

The waste of energy for all these recalls is being paid BY YOU AND ME AS CONSUMERS. Don't think for one moment that the expenses will be recouped by any other means.

All the hoopla is merely that - HOOPLA. Unfortunately it's gonna cost us if we don't learn to cook our eggs properly.

How about your salad? There have been numerous recalls on lots of plants that are typically served uncooked. Many of these are caused by runoff from good old factory farms. I love this let the buyer beware economic theory applied to my family's food.

Regulation is not socialisim. Lets start with some basic questions -

- why do we need a government? (I'd really like some opinions)

- does the citizenry deserve a safe food supply?

- at what point does protecting your people constitute socialisim?

rlkwilldo - here's a court decision handed down this year which basically states:

"There is No Right to Consume or Feed Children Any Particular Food; There is No Generalized Right to Bodily and Physical Health; There is No Fundamental Right to Freedom of Contract." ~ US Dept of Health & Human Services and US Food & Drug Administration, 2010.

Here's the link: http://foodfreedom.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/fda-no-right-to-food-health-contract.pdf

There is alot of jargon that I am having a hard time understanding - No wonder most politicians are lawyers. But my read on this was that in fear of corrective action the non pasteurized milk sellers were sueing the FDA, and the FDA stance was that there was no such action in the first place - Am I close?

-Ed Whitehead-1983152: Yep you got it right.

luvenia48; you truly are screwed up and do not understand the egg or even the farm business. Factory farming is not all bad nor good. It is up to the farm manager to maintain the operation, the owner's job to provide funding, equipment and a safe work environment and last but not least the inspector's job to see to it the plant is food safe.

The small farmer is unable to meet many if any of these requirements and maintain a safe, profitable farm. That cute sunburned couple selling eggs at the farmer’s market are living a nightmare waiting to happen – if they sell more than certain number of eggs they come under USDA inspection and regulations and their cost of operation can double overnight. In other words they are operating a outlaw operation subject to spending time in federal lockup, losing the farm and breakup of the family. If by choice the same farmer is running a free range chicken egg farm, his problems double or even triple – varmints take a share, eggs come in so many sizes they can’t be graded, production goes down to three or four eggs a week instead of seven and the danger of the hens eating the others crap can cause disease and wipe out the flock inside a week plus a dozen different sicknesses that can spread to humans. Whoop-to-doo the farming life is best left to those who inherit large amounts of cash to fertilize the farm with. Over the last fifty years I have been there and done that so many times [ I’m a slow learner.]

I'm glad that you were able to watch a TV show telling you exactly how Factory Farms work! Shut your TV off for a while and go on a farm and talk to the farmer. Not everything you watch on TV is true...

This just in: The GOP say to only trust the whites. The Yellow part can't be trusted.

Ed-534339

Shame on YOU, these people are NOT farmers, never have been and never will be. The real farmers are the ones being put out of business. JUST a little research will set you free because that is what the truth does you know, set you free.

Be nice to him, just one look at his face tells you he's a big contributor to the GOP, and most likely is a Tea Bagger.

Ed was painting with a broad brush; the point he tried to articulate is valid.

Farm subsidies are a huge, huge pool of welfare and should be stopped. Farmers should grow to the market and not to the subsidies (like corn.) I hate seeing family farms go out of business but subsidizing them is not the answer.

DeCoster is not a farmer, he is a factory farmer who has made it where the true small farmers can't make a living anymore. Maybe if a real farmer was voted into office things like this wouldn't happen! City people don't give a crap about where their food comes from until things like this happen!! How about you wake up and support the family farms and the farmers out there that are working their butts off to support their family and all of yours too!

Amazing...you can see his face? I tell you, the wonders I've read on the vine. Earlier this morning someone was saying they could tell someone's race by what they write and now this. I wish I had all these "super powers".

This guy is no farmer! He is a thieving Bussness man. Real Farmers know that you don't cut corners. Farming is a life long vocation that calls for keeping things health so it will be producing years from now. Factory Farms are just that Factories that take advange of the AG labor laws that were ment to protect the small family farm.

-Ed Whitehead-1983152: Yep you got it right.

luvenia48 & Gray beard; you truly are screwed up and do not understand the egg or even the farm business. Factory farming is not all bad nor good. It is up to the farm manager [usually a local farmer that failed because of under financing] to maintain the operation, the owner's job to provide funding, equipment and a safe work environment and last but not least the inspector's job to see to it the plant is food safe.

The small farmer is unable to meet many if any of these requirements and maintain a safe, profitable farm. That cute sunburned couple selling eggs at the farmer’s market are living a nightmare waiting to happen – if they sell more than certain number of eggs they come under USDA inspection and regulations and their cost of operation can double overnight. In other words they are operating a outlaw operation subject to spending time in federal lockup, losing the farm and breakup of the family. If by choice the same farmer is running a free range chicken egg farm, his problems double or even triple – varmints take a share, eggs come in so many sizes they can’t be graded, production goes down to three or four eggs a week instead of seven and the danger of the hens eating the others crap can cause disease and wipe out the flock inside a week plus a dozen different sicknesses that can spread to humans. Whoop-to-doo the farming life is best left to those who inherit large amounts of cash to fertilize the farm with. Over the last fifty years I have been there and done that so many times [ I’m a slow learner.]

the owner's job to provide funding, equipment and a safe work environment and last but not least the inspector's job to see to it the plant is food safe

The Hens laying the eggs should be properly looked after too, they deserve enough room to move around and should be treated with respect.

How's this - the whole system is broken. The regulations by gov. agencies, such as the FDA made it impossible for small farms to survive; yet the FDA is lax on doing its job.

SO well said, farmers daughter!!!! It really is that simple!

I just might do that.

Wow. Gotta love netflix. as for the movie - damn, This county seems to have its largest problems tied in with these big industry types. Biggest profits ever - Lowest tax revenue paid out and the biggest corporate welfare fraud schemes. Really frustrating.

its the quality of life for the chicken too. Happy Chickens, happy eggs. This barbaric practice must end

Factory Farms are BAD, true farmers are good, better food and LOTS more pride. Take a look at these factory chicken farms and it will or it should make you sick.

Take the Factory OUT of farming and watch as we get healthier.

Do some research luvenia 48. Back fifty or more years people lived shorter lives they were often dying of illnesses that are cured today. Almost all food had some type of bacterial contamination. Water was poluted with chemicals and heavy metals. There were no regulations on food products and cleanliness. Do you really want to go back in time? I don't know how old you are but you would probably not see sixty years old back then.

If you don't cook them your going to get sick sooner or later.

Hate to break your yoke, but harmful elements are carried in the egg whites as well. You should probably just eat artifical eggs. I am sure they are good for you. At least until 20 years from now when it has all built up in your system because it was not natural.