FDA Raises Egg Recall to Highest Risk Level Over Salmonella Risk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 12 classified a recall of more than 1.5 million eggs as Class I, its highest risk level, over the risk of salmonella contamination.

The FDA classifies a product recall as Class I when it determines there is a reasonable probability that consuming the product could cause “serious adverse health consequences or death,” according to its website.

Midwest Poultry Services initiated the recall of white shell eggs and brown cage-free shell eggs on July 22. The FDA said the eggs were produced and distributed from farms in Texas between June 6 and July 3 and were marked with “sell by” or “best by dates” ranging from July 20 to Aug. 17.

They were available for sale at Kroger stores in Louisiana and Texas and Brookshire Grocery stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The FDA has urged consumers who purchased the affected eggs to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers were also advised to sanitize any surfaces or containers that may have come into contact with the affected eggs.

“If you stored eggs without the original packaging and cannot tell if they are part of the recall, throw them away,” the FDA said in a July 24 statement.

The recalled eggs were linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 98 people across 17 states, with 26 requiring hospitalizations, the FDA said on July 24. The agency said 91 percent of patients reported eating eggs before falling ill. No deaths have been reported from the outbreak.

Salmonella can spread through contaminated food, according to the FDA.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. It can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.

The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also investigating a Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeño peppers from Sinaloa and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors. The outbreak has sickened 345 people across 27 states, with 36 people requiring hospitalization. No deaths have been reported so far.

The FDA stated that more than 90 percent of the patients it interviewed reported eating at Chipotle Mexican Grill or QDOBA, a Mexican-style restaurant chain, before falling ill.

The two restaurant chains have stopped using the peppers, and Coast Citrus Distributors also recalled the affected products, notified customers, and stopped sourcing from the Sinaloa-based farmer.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.