Well, here we go again - another big food recall that has the media all in a dither, activists licking their chops, and consumers as confused as ever. Meanwhile, producers shake their heads and wonder what could be next.

What is lacking in this, as in other big food scares, is a little perspective. Headlines that scream “Largest recall in history” give the mistaken impression that this is worse than anything in the past. The increasing number of national food recalls also gives the impression that food production is less safe than it used to be.

In the latest egg recall, much has been made of the size of the farm the eggs came from, which implies food from big farms is not as safe. When all these factors are put in their proper perspective, the egg recall can be seen for what it really is - not that big of a deal.

I am not making light of the situation. This recall does represent a public health concern that needs to be dealt with, yet it does not represent a flaw in egg production. Egg producers are regulated by no less than three federal agencies and, in most states, several state agencies.

Inspections and lots of paperwork are a regular part of an egg farmer’s life. This safety net insures that, year after year, billions of eggs are laid, shipped, processed, and consumed with no ill effects. While the media has made much of the millions of eggs in the recall, the reality is that less than 1 percent of the eggs produced in this nation are involved.

News reports have given the impression that lots of people are getting sick from the eggs. This is an exaggeration. A survey by CNN revealed that the majority of states are reporting no increase in salmonella cases linked to the egg recall. Mississippi even reported a drop in salmonella cases in the past few months. A few states, including California, Arizona and Minnesota, have reported a spike in salmonella cases, but officials are not sure if these are related to eggs or not. Michael Sicilia of the California Department of Public Health told CNN, “This is the most common type of salmonella, and we can’t confirm if they are all related to eggs.”

Even the state of Iowa, the source of the contamination, is reporting no cases related to eggs. Dr. Patricia Quinlisk from the Iowa Department of Health said, “We’ve seen no particular clusters, or outbreaks, or even individual cases that we can link back to any of the recalled eggs.”

As with most food crises, there’s no shortage of activists offering their own self-serving “solutions” along with the recall of more than 500 million eggs. The animal-rights Humane Society of the United States has been steadily spinning science to promote its “cage-free” emotionalism. And PETA is flat-out calling for a universal vegan diet. (Conveniently PETA forgets that veggies can get Salmonella, too; remember the spinach recall?)

Not to be left out of the fun, Michael Pollan is spouting off on the egg recall. He wants to go back to the “good old days” when people got eggs from the chickens in their backyards. He told CNN, “I want eggs from chickens raised like they did in the old days, before we had to worry about salmonella.”

Again, a little perspective is needed. In 1900, the death rate from gastritis, duodentitis, enteritis, and colitis was 142.7 people per 100,000. It is likely that most people experienced bouts of intestinal distress several times a year.

Today, accepting CDC calculations of 5000 deaths per year implies a hundred-fold reduction, to just 1.4 deaths per 100,000 people.

The frequency of food recalls in recent years is often used to claim our food is not as safe as it used to be. When, in reality, this is a sign that our food safety system is working better than ever. The incidence of many foodborne illnesses continues to decline according to the CDC’s FoodNet surveillance network which was established in 1996.

In its 2005 report, the CDC found that the incidence of O157:H76 infections had fallen by 29 percent from the 1996 - 1998 level.

Lost in all the rhetoric is any discussion of things that could be done to improve egg safety. A Purdue University food scientist believes the poultry industry could implement a rapid egg cooling technology to reduce future outbreaks. Kevin Keener, an associate professor of food science, said quick cooling of eggs after they are laid would significantly reduce the ability of salmonella to grow inside eggs and potentially keep consumers safe.

Keener said Food and Drug Administration studies show that, if eggs were cooled and stored at 45 degrees or less within 12 hours of laying, there would be an estimated 78 percent fewer salmonella illnesses from eggs in the United States each year.

Paul Brennan, Executive Vice President of the Purdue-based Indiana State Poultry Association, said. “If there is a technology that we could adopt to address an issue and it was cost-effective, I’m sure we would embrace it.”

If history is any indicator, this food scare will pass and consumers will return to eating eggs with confidence. But the agricultural industry must continue to stress the importance of food safety both to consumers and producers.

Producers must insist on safe food practices up and down the food chain. Consumers need to learn to stop believing the scare tactics and exaggerations of the news media and food activists.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.