FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

For more information contact:
Bill Clary

(502) 564-4696

COMMISSIONER FARMER SAYS PRACTICE EGG SAFETY
TO CREATE FOND FAMILY MEMORIES THIS EASTER

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer urges all Kentuckians to play it safe when decorating Easter eggs – especially if you plan to eat them.

“Decorating Easter eggs is a favorite family activity this time of year,” Commissioner Farmer said. “By taking a few simple steps, Kentucky families can enjoy wholesome family fun and create memories they will cherish for a lifetime.”

Here are a few suggestions from the American Egg Board:

• Wash your hands between all steps of cooking, cooling, dyeing and decorating.
• Be sure that all the decorating materials you plan to use are food safe.
• Keep the eggs refrigerated as much as possible. Put them back in the refrigerator when you are not working with them. Cold temperatures maintain quality and slow spoilage.
• Dye the eggs in water warmer than the eggs so they don’t absorb the dye water.
• If you hide the decorated eggs, put them where they won’t come in contact with animals or lawn chemicals.
• Throw out any eggs that have cracked or have been out at room temperature for more than two hours. Eat uncracked, refrigerated, hard-cooked eggs within a week of cooking them.
• Hard cook eggs instead of boiling them. Boiling makes eggs tough and rubbery. Eggs that are cooked too long or at too high a temperature have green rings around the yolks.
• Buy eggs ahead of time for easy peeling. The fresher an egg, the harder it is to peel after it is cooked.
• Crackle an egg all over before you peel it.

The American Egg Board says 93.4 million dozen eggs were sold during Easter week in 2005 compared with 72 million dozen in an average week.

For more information, go to www.aeb.org and click on Kids & Family or call the KDA’s Division of Regulation and Inspection at (502) 573-0282 and ask for an egg regulation specialist.

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