Nursing Homes Scramble to Comply with New Egg Preparation Standards

The revised CMS guidelines advise nursing homes that they should use pasteurized shell eggs or liquid pasteurized eggs to eliminate the risk of residents contracting Salmonella Enteritidis (SE). The use of pasteurized eggs allows for resident preference for soft-cooked, undercooked or sunny-side up eggs while maintaining food safety. In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, nursing homes should not prepare or serve soft-cooked, undercooked or sunny-side up eggs from unpasteurized eggs. Signed health release agreements, between the resident (or the resident’s representative) and the facility that acknowledges the resident’s acceptance of the risk of eating undercooked unpasteurized eggs are no longer permitted.

Contact: Elliott Frost, efrost@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8832