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Breakfast is ruined.
A major egg producer based in Indiana has just announced that millions of eggs from two farms in Texas may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis, a subspecies of bacterium that can cause severe illness.
The recall comes just weeks after the cyclosporiasis “explosive diarrhea” outbreak that was linked to fresh produce like lettuce.
According to a July 22 recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration website, Midwest Poultry Services — the large-scale American egg producer in North Manchester, Indiana — voluntarily recalled 1,589,577 dozen white-shell eggs and cage-free brown-shell eggs.
This equates to roughly 19 million eggs. If consumed, salmonella can cause fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people or those with weakened immune systems.
The possible contamination was at two of the company’s Texas farms and found after “proactive environmental monitoring practices and root cause analysis.” Midwest Poultry Services has confirmed it will not be distributing fresh eggs produced on these farms at this time.
The cartons to watch for were produced between June 6 and July 3, with sell-by or best-by dates between July 20 and Aug. 17.
Possible contamination occurred on eggs that were shipped to Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana and sold at certain Kroger stores, Brookshire Grocery stores and smaller retailers.
The eggs in Kroger were found in Texas and Louisiana stores, while the eggs in Brookshire Grocery stores were in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi.
No other Midwest Poultry Services products are part of this recall, and the company said it is not aware of any specific illnesses linked to its products.
According to the recall announcement, all of the recalled eggs will have an identifying code number printed on the left or right sides of the carton in date-coding ink only.
The recalled cartons will only have codes P-1950 or 0840962 with a Julian date between 157 and 184 printed on the side. For a full list of examples, check the FDA recall site or call 574-405-9531. Midwest Poultry Services is available for calls between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.
Shoppers who purchased a recalled carton can get a full refund and are “urged to avoid consumption,” according to the FDA. Salmonella symptoms are often fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
The FDA said salmonella may be able to get into the bloodstream and produce more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis in rare circumstances. However, the most common are diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC also said symptoms from salmonella poisoning may start six hours or up to six days after ingesting. Healthy folks can typically recover within four to seven days with no treatment, while other, more vulnerable groups could require medical treatment or even hospitalization.
The CDC suggests contacting your health care professional if you experience the following.
- Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit
- Diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving
- Bloody diarrhea
- So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
- Signs of dehydration, such as not urinating much, dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up
