SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Easter is just a few days away and many of you are wondering how to safely celebrate traditions like dyeing eggs or having Easter egg hunts.
The Shelby County Health Department has tips on how to handle egg preparation and avoid becoming a victim of food poisoning.
There’s no doubt Easter 2021 will look a lot different and large scale egg hunts are probably not on your agenda. But one thing that shouldn’t have changed is how you prepare eggs, especially for consumption.
“One of the things to keep in mind about boiled eggs or any type of food that you are preparing, that it must be cooked, it must be handled safely and it must be stored properly,” said Kasia Smith-Alexander, bureau director of environmental health services with the county.
The health department strongly urges you to take a few precautions this Easter when it comes to eggs, starting at the grocery store.
“We always like to tell people, if you can have a bag or something to keep things cool, like something as simple as this that you put your eggs in and you put your condiments in, like cheese, eggs or milk,” Smith-Alexander said.
- Also, check the expiration date on the egg carton.
- Since fresh eggs may contain bacteria called salmonella it’s important to make sure eggs are clean and that you wash your hands before and after handling eggs.
- If you’re displaying decorated eggs in a basket or hiding them outside, the health department says they prefer that the shells stay intact when dyeing or even hiding the eggs.
- Don’t let them sit for more than two hours and be careful of where you place eggs in your yard, avoiding areas that pets frequent.
- And leftover dishes prepared with eggs should always be refrigerated and consumed within three to four days.
The Shelby County Health Department also reminds you that in this age of COVID-19, you can never be too careful.
“One of the most important things in public health is that if you are getting together as a family, we do ask that you continue to mask, make sure you try to stay socially distanced as well,” Smith-Alexander said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as one in every 20,000 eggs is contaminated with salmonella.