The dysfunctional Trump administration, in its infinite lack of wisdom, has decided to import eggs from Turkey as a stop-gap measure.

Has anyone at the USDA or the FDA considered the contamination rates of H5N1 (bird flu), Salmonella, and other pathogens in Turkish eggs?

I thought not.

To be clear, Vladimir Putin tried this a little over a year ago, with disastrous results.

Russia decided to import eggs from Turkey in order to address an egg “crisis” caused by high inflation and Western sanctions triggered by Russia’s war on Ukraine.

According to a January 2024 story in Newsweek, more than 20% of the 19.4-ton batch of Turkish eggs imported into Russia on January 3, 2024, was contaminated with the H5N1 (bird flu) virus and/or Salmonella.

This was not an isolated incident. A 2022 study of shell eggs in Turkey found Salmonella in 12% of free-range eggs, 10% of cage-free eggs, and 12% of eggs from caged birds.

In contrast, the generally acknowledged overall incidence of Salmonella in US eggs is 1:20,000 (0.005%).

I usually try to avoid predictions; however, don’t be surprised if there is a sudden rash of egg-associated Salmonella outbreaks over the next few months.

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