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Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Eggs Sickens Dozens Of People Across 7 States
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More than 70 people across seven states have been sickened due to a salmonella outbreak linked to eggs recalled by a California-based egg distributor, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Friday, the August Egg Company recalled 1.7 million dozen brown cage-free and brown certified organic eggs, sold under multiple brand names, that have the "potential to be contaminated," according to a recall notice from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Of the 79 people sickened, 21 people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported, the CDC said.
The eggs were sold to restaurants and retailers in Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming, according to the CDC. They were distributed at retail locations including Walmart, Save Mart, FoodMaxx, Lucky, Smart & Final, Safeway, Raleys, Food 4 Less and Ralphs.
Salmonella can "cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems," according to the FDA. Salmonella can also cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain in healthy people who get infected.
"August Egg Company is not selling fresh shell eggs at this time. Our firm has voluntarily been diverting eggs to an egg-breaking plant for over 30 days, which pasteurizes the eggs and kills any potential foodborne pathogens," the company said in a statement provided to the FDA. "It is important to know that when our processing plant identified this concern, we immediately began diverting all eggs from the plant to an egg-breaking facility, which pasteurizes the eggs and kills any pathogens."
Related articleThe company also said its internal food safety team is "conducting its own stringent review" to identify future preventative measures. "We are committed to addressing this matter fully and to implementing all necessary corrective actions to ensure this does not happen again," the company said.
The CDC recommends that anyone who has the recalled eggs in their home or business throw them out or return them to the store where they were purchased.
At Least 1.7 Million Eggs Recalled As CDC And FDA Investigate Multistate Salmonella Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to at least 1.7 million eggs, according to a news release issued on Saturday.
The brown cage-free and brown certified organic eggs were distributed by the August Egg Company from Feb. 3 through May 15 to retailers in nine states — California, Nevada, Washington, Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico, Illinois, Indiana and Wyoming, per the FDA.
In an announcement issued Friday, the Hilmar, California-based distribution company recalled 1.7 million eggs, which have sell-by dates ranging from March 4 to June 19 and were sold at retailers including Walmart and Safeway, as well as under many different brands that can be seen here.
So far, the outbreak has sickened 79 people in New Jersey, Kentucky, Nebraska, Nevada, Arizona, Washington state and California, the CDC said. At least 21 people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
Recalled eggs.FDA "This outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the number reported," the CDC said. "This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella."
Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can make people sick if they consume contaminated food and water, or touch animals, their fecal matter or the areas they live in, according to the CDC. It is "a leading cause of food-borne illness, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States and worldwide," causing about 1.35 million infections in the U.S. Every year.
Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps and can start six hours to six days after consumption of the bacteria. Children under five, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems can become seriously ill as a result of contracting salmonella.
The CDC is advising anyone who has the recalled eggs in their home to throw them away or return them to the retailer that sold them. Businesses with recalled eggs should not sell or serve them, and should sanitize any item or surface that came into contact with the eggs.
The August Egg Company said it began taking its eggs to an "egg-breaking facility" to pasteurize them and kill pathogens after learning about the salmonella concern.
"August Egg Company's internal food safety team also is conducting its own stringent review to identify what measures can be established to prevent this situation from recurring," the company said in a statement. "We are committed to addressing this matter fully and to implementing all necessary corrective actions to ensure this does not happen again."
This isn't the only salmonella outbreak the U.S. Is currently grappling with.
Last month, the FDA announced a recall of cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales due to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 45 people and hospitalized 16 across 18 states.
The FDA's investigation into the cucumbers is ongoing.
Eggs Recalled In Salmonella Outbreak After 79 People Fall Ill
1 of 5A California egg producer is recalling around 1.7 million eggs sold in retail stores in nine states because of salmonella concerns, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
June 7 (UPI) -- A California egg producer is recalling around 1.7 million eggs sold in retail stores in nine states because of salmonella concerns, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed.
The FDA recall notice applies to brown cage free eggs produced by the August Egg Company, which is located in Hilmar, approximately 20 miles south of Modesto, Calif.
The eggs in question were sold between February 3 and May 15 and available at Save Mart, FoodMaxx, Lucky, Smart & Final, Safeway, Raleys, Food 4 Less and Ralphs locations in Nevada and California.
They also appeared on store shelves in Walmart retail locations in California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Indiana and Illinois between February 3 and May 6.
No deaths have been linked to the salmonella outbreak so far, but 79 people in seven states have gotten sick. That number includes 21 who were hospitalized, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The packages in question have the plant code number P-6562 or CA5330 printed on the package. The latest best before date on eggs sold in the Walmart stores is June 19, and is June 6 at the other Nevada and California retail locations.
Affected eggs can be disposed of or returned to stores.
Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps 6 hours to 6 days after exposure to the bacteria, according to the CDC.
"The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. In some people, the illness may be so severe that the patient is hospitalized," according to the agency.
People under the age of five and older than 65 or with weakened immune systems are more likely to encounter severe illness if infected.
"It is important to know that when our processing plant identified this concern, we immediately began diverting all eggs from the plant to an egg-breaking facility, which pasteurizes the eggs and kills any pathogens," the company said in the FDA notice.
"August Egg Company's internal food safety team also is conducting its own stringent review to identify what measures can be established to prevent this situation from recurring. We are committed to addressing this matter fully and to implementing all necessary corrective actions to ensure this does not happen again."
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