An Iowa egg-producer is recalling 228 million eggs after a nationwide outbreak of Salmonella was traced back to its farm.
Over the months of June and July, the Centers for Disease Control saw a 400-percent spike in the numbers of Salmonella cases nationwide. Investigators, looking into cases from coast to coast, found that all the outbreaks included eggs from Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa. If Iowa seems remote to you, consider that in this day of highly centralized food production, WCE's customers include supermarket chains across the country. Brand names affected by the recall include:
• Dutch Farms
• Farm Fresh
• Mountain Dairy
The producer is recalling all eggs it has shipped out since May 19. (Hopefully, if you purchased eggs on May 19, they're not still in your refrigerator but, then again, hopefully, you haven't eaten any contaminated eggs…)
Despite worries about Salmonella contamination in the United States, the numbers of contaminated eggs are – usually – about one in 20,000. What makes it so challenging is that chickens that appear healthy can be carriers. Scientists, too, don't yet fully understand how chickens are infected with the pathogen but new regulations calling for increased testing and lower allowable levels of the pathogen in chickens are coming into play. Still, not everyone understands the gravity of Salmonella infections.
"It is estimated that for every confirmed case of Salmonella, there are approximately 38 unconfirmed cases," according to Food Safety News. "Salmonella Enteriditis is one of the most common strains of Salmonella circulating, and is often associated with eggs."
Each year, according to the CDC, about 100 people die from Salmonella-related causes and many more are left seriously ill. Children and the elderly, in particular, are often the victims.
How do we increase the safety of our eggs? Tests conducted a couple of years ago by the consumer advocacy group Consumers Union found that chickens raised by organic and smaller producers were often less likely to carry pathogens such as Salmonella. While it's true those eggs are more expensive, given the nutritional value of the egg, even at 30 cents each, they're still a bargain.