The CNN headline says, “Feed likely source of salmonella in eggs, federal officials say.” This as the egg recall expands to 550 million eggs from two mega-egg-producers in Iowa, with tainted eggs traced to 23 states and almost 1,500 cases of salmonella poisoning.
Kind of makes you wonder what those mega-farmers feed their chickens. Sustainable Table reports that industrial poultry feeds commonly contain post-slaughter animal wastes, as well as antibiotics– but clearly not enough to eliminate a salmonella infection.
In contrast, when we had laying hens, we fed them a mixture of grains with no animal by-products or medications. And our chickens got plenty of sunshine and greenery, since they had the run of the yard.
Half a billion infected eggs… sounds to me like a great argument for knowing your local farmer!
