Posted: May 21st, 2010 - 8:55am by Doug Powell

These are duck eggs (right), fresh from the farm, as some like to say.

A colleague who is a veterinarian in the Kansas State vet college has a few ducks on her villa just outside Manhattan (Kansas) and gathers the eggs. The good doctor is very conscientious about Salmonella, Campylobacter and other goodies, washes the exteriors thoroughly, and refrigerates properly. They have a unique taste on their own, but are excellent in omelets or for use in baking.

Trading such wares in a local economy has gone on for centuries, but food safety concerns must be paramount, regardless of the size or locale of any outfit providing food; folks in Vancouver, Canada, are finding this out through a lot of barfing.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported yesterday on a persistent outbreak of Salmonella with more than 500 reported illnesses that dates back to 2008. The cause: tainted and poor-quality eggs being peddled in some sort of underground black market, primarily to restaurants looking to save a buck.

Dr. Eleni Galanis, an epidemiologist with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, said,

"Eggs are the most likely source of this outbreak.”

Although those who got sick ate eggs from many sources, an investigation found that many Lower Mainland restaurants have been using ungraded and broiler hatching eggs.

"Eggs used at these places were of poor quality, cracked and dirty," said Galanis.