Department of Health

 

Food Safety Tips for Handling Eggs at Easter

 

 - Consider using plastic eggs for the Easter egg hunt instead of hard-boiled eggs.

 - It is safer to treat colorful hard-boiled Easter eggs as disposable decorations, not food.

- If you do use real eggs as part of your family’s Easter tradition, follow these simple safety measures to help keep dyed Easter eggs safe to eat:

Wash hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water before handling the eggs.

Eggs should be cooked until the yolks and whites are firm.

Cool eggs quickly, either under cold running water or in an ice bath.

Do not decorate, hide, or eat cracked eggs.

Refrigerate eggs (41 degrees F or below) until you are ready to hide them.

Choose hiding places with care, avoiding areas where the eggs could come in contact with harmful bacteria or chemicals.

Refrigerate immediately after hunting eggs; discard eggs that have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.

Hard-boiled eggs held at 41 degrees F in the refrigerator may be kept up to seven days.

                        Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

                           Office of Veterinary Public Health and the

                   Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention

                              Phone: (866) 628-9891 or (573) 751-6113