LANSING, Ill. — The Festive Kitchen, known throughout the Dallas area for its premier wedding, private event and corporate event catering, and to-go meals and desserts, has strengthened its food safety protocol by completely converting to use of pasteurized shell eggs as a preventative measure against Salmonella. Each year, more than 1.4 million Americans contract Salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Festive Kitchen will now utilize Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs (www.safeeggs.com) to ensure that the tens of thousands of meals prepared annually for catering and to-go customers are free from Salmonella. The Festive Kitchen is known for its "recognizable gourmet" meals and its hand scooped raw cookie dough, available in 17 flavors.
"Restaurateurs, caterers and food service providers must be proactive to protect themselves and their customers from Salmonella poisoning," said Sandy Korem, owner of The Festive Kitchen. "By switching to use of pasteurized shell eggs, we are providing our clientele with an excellent tasting, hormone-free egg that keeps them safe, and prevents cross-contamination within our own kitchen."
"The Festive Kitchen is leading the catering industry by proactively using only pasteurized shell eggs in their recipes, and it is prudent, given the continued food safety challenges we've seen as a country," said Greg West, president of National Pasteurized Eggs (NPE) the producers of the Safest Choice brand.
Safest Choice is produced by NPE, the world's largest producer of pasteurized in-shell eggs. The company "slow pasteurizes" eggs via an all-natural, patented process recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to eliminate Salmonella and the Avian Influenza virus. NPE produces cage-free and traditional eggs under various brands including the "Safest Choice" label.
According to the CDC, avoidance of Salmonella is crucial for at-risk populations such as seniors, children under 10, pregnant women, diabetics and other people with compromised immune systems. Use of pasteurized shell eggs makes sure the eggs served are safe, and also protects the kitchen from dangerous cross-contamination.
Safest Choice eggs are delivered fresh to all 50 states. For more information and to find a retailer or distributor, visit: www.safeeggs.com.
Source: National Pasteurized Eggs