1011947-C1 (9 x 10.875) CREEP: none (96+4 pages) p. 32

LIFESTYLE

very year, tens of thousands of Americans suffer as a result

of an egg-borne Salmonella epidemic that has become so

commonplace it receives little attention unless the levels of

infection become high enough to trigger a national recall.

That’s exactly what happened this summer when public health officials

discovered a quadrupling of weekly Salmonella cases — prompting the

investigation that led to the vast national egg recall. What most

consumers don’t know is that the Food and Drug Administration

estimates 142,000 Americans get Salmonella food poisoning from eggs

every year, recall or no recall.

Most Salmonella victims suffer only acute bouts of gastroenteritis,

which are serious enough. But Salmonella infection can have life-long

consequences, such as chronic arthritis. Children, who are at especially

high risk for infection, can experience persistent irritable bowel

syndrome. And worst, Salmonella is the leading cause of food borne

illness-related death.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture calculations, one in

20,000 eggs is likely contaminated with Salmonella. So that’s millions

of Salmonella-tainted eggs distributed annually. And that’s in a good

year — before this latest outbreak ever happened.

The mistreatment of hens is one reason millions of Salmonella-

infected eggs reach American supermarkets in such numbers.

Cramming hundreds of thousands of birds under a single roof in tiny

cages creates an immense volume of contaminated airborne fecal dust

that can rapidly spread Salmonella infection between birds. Other

factors blamed for increasing Salmonella risk in cage operations

include the inability to effectively disinfect the cage equipment

between flocks, the swarms of rodent and insect vectors that breed in

the massive manure pits beneath the cages, and the immune-crippling

stress of extreme confinement on the hens themselves.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology

suggests that the risk to consumers could be cut in half if the industry

moved to cage-free systems. Every one of the last 10 scientific studies

comparing conventional cage and cage-free egg operations found

higher Salmonella in operations that confine hens in cages, including

a 2010 study that found 20 times greater odds of Salmonella infection

in caged flocks.

This is an epidemic with no end in sight —and one that calls for the egg industry to stopconfining hens in cages.

Michigan and California have already passed laws to phase out

cages. California also just passed a law requiring that all whole eggs

sold statewide be cage-free by 2015. In Ohio this year, agriculture

leaders agreed to support a moratorium on the construction of new

battery cage egg facilities.

Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, the factory farms

implicated in the latest recall, are not just bad eggs. Food safety issues

inherent to caging hens put all egg consumers at risk. It’s time for the

egg industry to phase out these hazardous and merciless cages.

Dr. Michael Greger is director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture

in the farm animal welfare division for the Humane Society of the

United States.

IN THE WAKE OF THE EGG RECALL,

IT’S TIME FOR THE EGG INDUSTRY TO

ELIMINATE CRUEL AND UNSAFE CAGESBy Michael Greger, MD

E

Help Make A Difference:For more information, please visit www.humanesociety.org

and get involved.

32 AFFLUENT MAGAZINE

Cramming hens into cages is inhumane and poses a threat to food safety.

Photo Credit: Humane Society of the United States

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