Photo courtesy FDA
The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating illnesses in a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to brown cage free eggs and brown certified organic eggs supplied by August Egg Company, Hilmar, Calif.
Based on epidemiological information collected by CDC, 79 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella have been reported from seven states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Feb. 24 to May 17. Twenty-seven of 30 cases with information available reported exposure to eggs or an egg-containing dish before becoming ill. There have been 21 hospitalizations, and no deaths have been reported.
As part of this investigation, FDA conducted traceback based on where ill people reported shopping or eating eggs or egg-containing dishes during the timeframe of interest, and August Egg Company was identified as a common supplier. FDA also conducted an inspection and collected environmental samples at August Egg Company’s processing facility. Two samples from this inspection were positive for Salmonella and found to be a Whole Genome Sequencing match to the strain of Salmonella causing illnesses in this outbreak.
August Egg Company began diverting all eggs to an egg breaker in May. This breaking facility processes eggs to eliminate the Salmonella risk, said FDA.
In response to this investigation, August Egg Company agreed to recall all brown cage free eggs and brown certified organic eggs that could potentially be in consumers’ homes. Consumers should check their refrigerators for the recalled eggs and should return them to their place of purchase for a full refund, said FDA. Refer to August Egg Company’s recall announcement for more information.