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Weeks after a recall was issued for more than 1.5 million cartons of one dozen eggs due to the risk of salmonella, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has upgraded the recall to the highest risk level.
On Wednesday, the recall was moved up to a Class I, which signifies “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
The upgrade comes as nearly 98 people have been sickened across 17 states, with 26 hospitalizations, according to a July 24 update from the FDA.
No deaths have been reported.
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Officials said the recalled products were sold under several brands, including Kroger, Brookshire’s, Country Morning, Simple Truth, and Sunups, as well as various bulk Grade A and Grade AA eggs.
The eggs were distributed to retail and food service customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi, as well as other smaller retail outlets, according to the FDA.
The vast majority of those sickened — 73 — were in Texas.
Customers in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York and West Virginia, each reported a handful of cases.
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The FDA said that distribution of recalled eggs “has been confirmed for states listed, but product could have been distributed further, reaching additional states.”
Midwest Poultry Services initiated the voluntary recall, affecting 1,589,577 dozen cartons of white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs, in the last week of July.
The affected products were produced at two farms in Texas, according to the FDA.
Officials said the issue was discovered during routine environmental testing.
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The salmonella scare comes amid a deadly outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked to lettuce that causes explosive diarrhea.
Fox Business’ Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
