The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently reclassified an ongoing egg recall as being a “Class 1 recall.”
This means that this is “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.”
Through September 6, both the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported 65 people being infected and 24 people being hospitalized from a link to this recall, though no people have died.
Reported infections have come from people in a widespread area — from California, Utah, Colorado, Virginia, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The recall of the eggs was announced after a Salmonella outbreak that was ongoing was ultimately linked to eggs that were produced by Milo’s Poultry Farms, LLC.
In total, there have been more than 450,000 dozen eggs, or more than 5.4 million total eggs, recalled so far. The eggs that are part of the recall were distributed to food service locations and retail stores in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Among the recalled products are all types of conventional, organic, cage-free and non-GMO eggs; medium, large, extra-large and jumbo eggs; all sizes of carton; and eggs of all expiration dates. The eggs were labeled as either M&E Family Farms, Tony’s Fresh Market, or Milo’s Poultry Farms.
Salmonella is particularly concerning because it’s a bacteria that people can get sick from if they’re exposed to it. Some signs that you might have Salmonella poisoning are dehydration, stomach cramps, fever and diarrhea.
Typically, symptoms will begin anywhere from six hours through six days after you’re exposed to Salmonella. Most people are able to recover from this poisoning after about four days to a week, and most don’t need any particular treatment to do so.
At the same time, Salmonella can result in more serious infections that would require specific medical treatments or even hospitalization. Poisonings can also be fatal for the elderly, people who have a compromised immune system and young children.
The CDC estimates that each year, Salmonella causes roughly 1.35 million infections, 26,500 people to be hospitalized and 420 deaths throughout the U.S. The most common source of Salmonella poisoning is food.
The FDA says that if you purchased any eggs that are in cartons that are labeled either Tony’s Fresh Market or Milo’s Poultry Farms, you should throw them away immediately. You should not consume them in any way.
Once you throw them away, make sure to wash your hands immediately afterward. It’s also advisable to clean and sanitize your refrigerator and possibly even freezer because Salmonella has the ability to survive when stored at colder temperatures.
The FDA has a full guide for how to properly clean and sanitize surfaces, which can be found on the agency’s website. These steps are important to take to ensure you, your family and others aren’t infected with Salmonella poisoning.
