Local grocers have not been affected by the recent recall of more than half a billion eggs, and they're taking extra steps to make sure customers know it.

Though media reports have made clear that none of the affected eggs were shipped to New York State, grocers such as Tops and Wegmans have gone out of their way to assure customers the eggs in their coolers are safe.

"There will always be questions with a recall of this magnitude, especially when it's a fresh, commonly purchased product. It tends to shake consumer confidence," said Katie McKenna, spokeswoman for Tops Friendly Markets. "So we really try to overcommunicate with our customers, because it's never too much information."

Tops has displayed signs on cooler doors, letting customers know its eggs do not come from the Iowa farms associated with the recall, assuring them they take matters of food safety seriously and letting them know they will keep customers informed. The signs also remind customers of the proper storage and cooking procedures to be followed at home.

In addition to the signs, Tops has put notices up online and prepped its consumer affairs department to deal with customer questions.

Wegmans also has signs displayed informing customers their eggs are safe and unaffected by the recall. In addition, the company has blogged and tweeted about the topic online and made information available on its Web site.

"It's important that we're armed with good information as quickly as we can get it so we can inform and, in this particular case, reassure [our customers]," said Ann McCarthy, Wegmans spokeswoman. "We work hard to earn our customers' trust, and being readily available to them with accurate information is one way we maintain it."

According to experts, such communication goes a long way toward maintaining consumer loyalty and, in turn, sales. If left unaddressed, consumer concerns can leave a company burned even if it has done nothing to deserve it.

"Most importantly, it preserves the store's brand equity. Prestige, respect, confidence are preserved," said Arun Jain, a marketing professor at the University at Buffalo School of Management.

It's important for stores to stress the positive aspects of what systems and processes are in place to keep their food safe, show their standards are high and let consumers know they are always being proactive and keeping customers informed.

"Food-related issues can really shake up customers. Stores need to use this as an opportunity to educate, educate, educate," said Jain. "They need to educate people on how these things happen and how they prevent it."

Both companies have aggressively advertised their commitments to local family farms and locally sourced goods. In situations like this, where the salmonella outbreak has been linked to unclean, large-scale factory farming techniques, grocers can cut a positive contrast for themselves.

"This really gives us a chance to reaffirm to customers our commitment to buying fresh, local food," said McKenna.

Both Tops and Wegmans get their eggs from Kreher's Farms, a family operation run by its founders' seven grandchildren. The family runs three farms: one in Clarence (with 500,000 chickens), one in Wolcott (with 800,000 chickens) and an organic, cage-free farm in the Town of Alabama (with 100,000 chickens).

The Wolcott farm was originally owned by Wegmans.

"Wegmans sold our egg farm, operated for us for years by the Wadsworth family, to Kreher's in 2007," said McCarthy. "The Wadsworths knew the Krehers well, had a great deal of respect for them and knew that they shared our values."

Since 1997, Kreher's Farms has been a voluntary member of the New York State Egg Quality Assurance Program put together by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Department of Health, Cornell University and the Egg Producers of New York State. The rules, which were put together after major salmonella outbreaks in the 1990s, outline strict safety procedures for the handling, cleaning, vaccination, verification, testing, refrigeration and storage of chicks, hens, eggs and facilities.

"A lot of what it covers is now covered in the new [Food and Drug Administration] safety rules," said Karyn Kreher, director of food safety and quality assurance at Kreher's Farms. "But our standards actually go even beyond the FDA's rules."

For example, Kreher's Farms washes and sanitizes chicken houses every time a new flock comes in, vaccinates chickens three separate times and tests hens for salmonella a fourth time before they are sent for processing, none of which is required by recently toughened FDA regulations.

Kreher's eggs are gathered and refrigerated daily within just a few hours -- well before the 36-hour time limit by which the FDA requires refrigeration. And for the past 20 years, it has adhered to a very strict rodent control and monitoring protocol.

"For years and years, we have had zero findings of any rodents in our houses," said Kreher.

The farm also submits to several third-party inspections and has in-house inspectors, including one from the FDA.

The latest national recall came after eggs from Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms tested positive for salmonella, which is suspected of sickening 1,500 people so far. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this is the largest outbreak of this strain of salmonella since the agency started tracking outbreaks in the late 1970s. For every case reported, there may be 30 that are unreported, the CDC said.

Thoroughly cooking eggs can kill the bacteria, but health officials are recommending people throw away or return the recalled eggs.

schristmann@buffnews.comnull