If you and your family celebrate by hunting for Easter eggs, safe food handling and storage are important. Before and after handling eggs, wash your hands and your work area thoroughly. Always wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before beginning food preparation and at every step of preparing Easter eggs (cooking, cooling and dyeing). Fully cook the eggs until they are hard-boiled to kill potentially harmful bacteria. Make sure the eggs you color do not have any cracks. If any eggs crack during cooking or dyeing, throw them away. Refrigerate eggs within two hours after cooking and decorating them. Use food-grade dye if you plan to eat the decorated Easter eggs. You may want to make two sets of eggs, one for decorating and hiding and another for eating. Keep cooked eggs chilled in the refrigerator until just before the hunt. Hide eggs in places that are protected from dirt, pets, and other bacteria sources. While hunting for Easter eggs, try to avoid cracking the egg shells. The total time for hiding and hunting for eggs should be no more than two hours. Be sure to refrigerate the “found” eggs right away until you eat them. Eggs found hours later or the next day should not be eaten.
