The egg recall expanded to include more than a half billion eggs on Friday. Hillandale Farms of Iowa joined Wright County Egg in recalling shell eggs due to possible salmonella contamination.
Hillandale Farms adds 170 million eggs to the already recalled 380 million eggs from Wright County Egg. Hillandale Farms has also said they would destroy existing inventories that have not been shipped to stores.
Avoiding Tainted Eggs
To figure out if you have recalled eggs in your fridge, look at this chart. Scroll down to see an illustration of how to read the egg carton.
So far, the egg recalls involve only shell eggs. The salmonella is found inside the eggs, rather than just on the shell. Other egg products, such as egg whites sold in the sealed refrigerated cartons, are typically pasteurized, which kills pathogens.
It is recommended to return the recalled eggs to the store where you bought them. When cooking any eggs, following certain guidelines can help avoid infection by salmonella.
What’s Next and How to Speak Out for Food Safety
The investigation is ongoing and the FDA is looking at things the two companies have in common, such as employees, chicken feed, or chick sources. According to the Washington Post, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms share supplies of young chickens and feed. Also, owners of the two companies co-own Ohio Fresh Eggs, another egg factory farm that has been cited for environmental violations.
Right now, the Senate is looking at the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510). It would give the FDA the power to make a food recall mandatory. The FDA does not currently have this power. The bill would also require farms to keep records that would make tracing disease outbreaks easier.
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act has been held up in the Senate because many of the regulations would be too burdensome for small farms. A manager’s amendment has been submitted, so it’s much closer to being ready.
Let your senators know what you think.
Photo by Valerie Everett, used with a Creative Commons license.
Heather Carr
15 Responses to Egg Recall Expanded to More Than Half a Billion Eggs
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[...] keeping hens healthy in a clean environment reduces the likelihood of half billion egg recalls. Any time a food is recalled, all the producers in the industry suffer [...]
[...] to contain E. coli. Salmonella-tainted peppers and peanut butter soon followed. And last year, over half a billion eggs from just two factory farms were recalled. At least 14 Americans died and many thousands became ill from those four major [...]
[...] several of its members, including the two egg producers who were at the center of last year’s half billion egg recall – Ohio Fresh Eggs of Ohio and Hillandale Farms of [...]
[...] Raw dairy is not legal in all states, and some folks think that all raw dairy is unsafe, citing recalls like this one as examples of consumers at unnecessary risk. Raw dairy advocates want the freedom to choose and point to the even larger recalls associated with industrial agriculture. [...]