The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) began a comprehensive risk assessment of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) in December 1996 in response to an increasing number of human illnesses associated with the consumption of shell eggs. The objectives of this risk assessment are to: establish the unmitigated risk of foodborne illness from Salmonella Enteritidis, identify and evaluate potential risk reduction strategies, identify data needs, and prioritize future data collection efforts. The risk assessment model consists of five modules.