TRENTON, N.J. -- A two-week-old regulation banning New Jersey restaurants from serving runny or raw eggs is unenforceable and silly, Gov. Jim Florio said Tuesday, taking on his own Health Department.
Florio, in his state-of-the-state message, used the runny egg rule as an example of over-zealous regulation.
He suggested officials change the regulation -- intended to halt the spread of potentially fatal salmonella bacteria -- to a public health advisory.
'I heard about a 'runny-egg' rule publicized yesterday that on its face appears unenforceable, intrusive and, frankly, sounds silly,' the governor said, referring to media reports that surfaced over the weekend.
The ban on raw and undercooked eggs, if enforced, would prevent restaurants from serving everything from fried eggs over easy to more sophisticated preparations like eggs Benedict and Caesar salad.
As the governor finished his speech, Health Commissioner Frances Dunston released a statement that she was reviewing the ban.
The ban went into effect Jan. 1 with no publicity. But newspaper stories in the last few days ridiculed the rule and subjected it to a host of punning headlines.
The federal Food and Drug Administration suggested in 1990 that health departments control the public consumption of un- and undercooked eggs because of the risk of contamination with salmonella.
Guy Gregg, president of the New Jersey Restaurant Association, called Florio's decision 'egg-cellent.' Gregg said that while restrictions on preparing eggs in advance might be necessary 'there is simly no need to prohibit the public from ordering two eggs over-easy at the local diner. '
