Egg recall due to Salmonella outbreak
Posted by rhondascooking on August 21, 2010
Many of you may have heard about the recent Salmonella outbreak in eggs that was announced on August 13, 2010 voluntarily by Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa. During a FDA on-farm record review and egg testing for Salmonella, it was concluded that specific Julian dates of shell eggs produced by their farms have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Since August 13th there have been a lot more recalls and updates on various egg brands throughout the country. So if you are an egg consumer, it is vitally important to understand which eggs have been recalled, regardless of when you purchased the eggs. Many people feel that because the eggs were purchased prior to the announcement that they may be okay, but that is not necessarily true. According to my research, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has stated that since May 2010, the number of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) infections, the same strand found in the recent egg recall has been increasing dramatically almost four-fold!
To date, the FDA has reported that eggs affected by the expanded recall were distributed to food wholesalers, distribution centers and foodservice companies in California, Arizona, Missouri, Minnesota, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Illinois, Utah, Nebraska, Arkansas, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. These companies distribute nationwide.
Eggs are packaged under the following brand names: Albertsons, Farm Fresh, James Farms, Glenview, Mountain Dairy, Ralphs, Boomsma, Lund, Kemps and Pacific Coast. Eggs are packed in varying sizes of cartons (6-egg cartons, dozen egg cartons, 18-egg cartons, and loose eggs for institutional use and repackaging) with Julian dates ranging from 136 to 229 and plant numbers 1720 and 1942.
Dates and codes can be found stamped on the end of the egg carton or printed on the case label. The plant number begins with the letter P and then the number. The Julian date follows the plant number, for example: P-1720 223.
For more information and to stay updated on the egg salmonella issue, visit the egg safety website for specific details.
Sources:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm222501.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm223139.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WhatsNewinFood/ucm222684.htm
