Thursday afternoon, news broke that the source of mulit-state Salmonella enteritidis outbreak may have been found. Federal officials have discovered Salmonella bacteria on the farm and in poultry feed samples. Several samples of bacteria found at Wright County Egg were identical to the Salmonella strain associated with the current outbreak.

Positive Salmonella samples were found in pullet feed at Wright County Egg as well as in barns and walkways. Other positive Salmonella samples were found in bone meal located at Wright County Egg. Sherry McGarry, with the Food and Drug Administration pointed out that these feed samples may not be the only Salmonella bacterial source.

One of the most interesting investigative findings was that Wright County Egg sells some of the pullets from its farm to Hillandale. These investigative reports indicate that we are one step closer to discovering the source of the Salmonella outbreak.

However, that does not mean that all questions will be answered. If these two farms are found to be the source of the Salmonella bacteria, there are still lingering questions regarding Wright County Egg and Hillandale’s operational techniques and business practices. The bacteria may have been found, but the investigation will continue.

With all the negative news currently inundating the airwaves and internet, it is nice to hear some positive news regarding one university’s fight against foodborne illness, specifically Salmonella enteritidis. Penn State has over twenty years searching for solutions to prevent food poisoning related to Salmonella enteritidis.

During the early 1990’s, Penn State researchers began utilizing flock testing to determine whether or not Salmonella bacteria were present in hens. Penn State Live highlighted the procedures implanted by this program.

Food-safety and poultry experts from Penn State and the University of Pennsylvania also take part in the risk-reduction program, widely known as PEQAP. Although it does not guarantee eggs are free of Salmonella enteritidis, the program assures that producers implement management and monitoring practices that reduce contamination. In return, the eggs of producers that meet its standards are certified with a logo that appears on egg cartons.

“Preventive measures include placement of only Salmonella enteritidis-free chicks, intensive rodent control, cleaning and disinfecting of poultry houses between flocks, and environmental monitoring of pullet and layer houses — with repeated testing of eggs from any houses that test positive,” said Poultry Science Professor Paul Patterson said.

We commend Penn State for their ongoing research and their work toward reducing Salmonella enteritidis and reducing related foodborne illness cases. Producers are always responsible for ensuring that eggs supplied to consumers, restaurateurs, and retailers are free of bacteria. Any one who helps in this fight is a hero in our book. They are saving lives and preventing illnesses.

The massive size of the Wright County and Hillandale salmonella egg recall has forced restaurants and governmental agencies to take stock in egg supplies. These entities want to ensure consumers are safe from Salmonellosis. Today’s announcement by the Ohio Warren County Combined Health District that nine restaurants were being inspected to ensure no recalled, possibly Salmonella tainted eggs, are present, reminded me that national food safety recalls are immense undertakings involving thousands of people.

First, there are the consumers. Consumers are scared that recalled eggs will make their way into their homes. Before buying eggs, for instance, consumers are checking plant numbers and Julian dates to ensure eggs are Salmonella enteritidis free. This is a proactive step to help avoid Salmonellosis food poisoning.

Second, one must consider restaurants, grocery stores, and farmers markets. These businesses will have to answer questions from consumers regarding where they got their eggs, how were there eggs produced, were there eggs recalled? Then, because no one wants to sell a contaminated food item, these service industry participants will want to ensure that their eggs are Salmonella free. They also don’t want their own employees accidentally coming in contact with Salmonella bacteria while preparing food or stocking shelves.

Then, there are governmental agencies. State and local health industries are on the front line of defense against Salmonella. They check restaurants, inspect store shelves, and test for bacteria in possibly contaminated areas. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention play a similar role. They must track illnesses from a Salmonella infected individual to the store or restaurant where the contaminated food was consumed all the way back to the egg producer or possibly the feed provider.

At each of these levels, the roles are different, but the concern is the same. Preventing foodborne illness is a priority in your own home and at national governmental agencies. Let’s hope producers heed the valuable lessons which can be learned from the 2010 Salmonella enteritidis outbreak.

The current Salmonella enteritidis outbreak has heightened consumer’s sensitivity to foodborne illness. Additionally, restaurants and egg producers are concerned about the safety of their products. Although recall campaigns such as the current Wright County and Hillandale Farms are often focused on consumers, the Food and Drug Administration has posted the following insight regarding what retail stores, restaurants, and shell egg producers can do to prevent Salmonella.

Information for Retail Food Stores and Food Service Establishments

• In retail and food service establishments, pasteurized egg products or pasteurized in-shell eggs are recommended in place of pooled eggs or raw or undercooked shell eggs. If used, raw shell eggs should be fully cooked. If shell eggs are served undercooked, a consumer advisory should be posted in accordance with the Food Code.
• In hospitals, nursing homes, adult or childcare facilities, and senior centers, pasteurized egg products or pasteurized in-shell eggs should be used in place of pooled eggs or raw or undercooked eggs.
• Eggs should be purchased or received from a distributor refrigerated and stored refrigerated at ≤ 45˚ F (≤7˚ C) at all times.

Information for Shell Egg Producers

• Flock-based SE-control programs that include routine microbiologic testing are mandatory for producers with more than 50,000 hens, as of July 9, 2010, under FDA’s egg safety rule. 
• This new regulation is part of a coordinated strategy between the FDA and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The FDA and the FSIS will continue to work closely together to ensure that egg safety measures are consistent, coordinated, and complementary.
• FDA continues to work with United Egg Producers and other industry organizations to educate producers and those who store and/or transport eggs about the new requirements. 

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture announced on August 26, 2010 that eggs associated with a nation-wide Salmonella recall had been located within the state. Initially reports by the Food and Drug Administration indicated that neither Wright County Eggs nor Hillandale Farms eggs were shipped into West Virginia.

The Department of Agriculture has informed consumers that it should examine eggs for the following information prior to consuming:

Consumers should look for plant number P1860, Julian dates 099-230; plant number P1663, Julian dates 137-230; plant numbers P1026, P1413 and P1946, Julian dates 136-225. The Julian date is the numerical day of the year the eggs were packaged.

The eggs are believed to be linked to Hillandale Farms. So far, over half a billion eggs have been recalled due to potential Salmonella contamination. At the center of the ongoing investigation are two farms: Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, two Iowa producers.

Nearly 2,000 individuals are believed to have been sickened by Salmonella contaminated eggs. Investigators are still trying to verify these details but did find samples of Salmonella bacteria at Wright County Egg which matched the Salmonella strain which has sickened some individuals.

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. today issued the following clarification regarding the previously announced voluntary recall of shell eggs supplied from Hillandale Farms of Iowa. This information does not increase the total number of eggs which Cal-Maine purchased from Hillandale Farms, which was previously announced on August 20, 2010. Cal-Maine immediately contacted its customers to ensure that any eggs included in the recall were withdrawn from the marketplace.

Cal-Maine has voluntarily recalled specific Julian dates of shell eggs purchased on May 31, 2010, from Hillandale Farms of Iowa and re-packaged by Cal-Maine’s Benton County, Arkansas, facility, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Potentially affected eggs that were received by Cal-Maine at this facility total approximately 24,000 dozen. The affected eggs were distributed to food wholesalers and retailers in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Cal-Maine’s Benton County, Arkansas, facility received these eggs from Hillandale Farms of Iowa, which were then re packaged into large loose 5, 15 and 30 dozen units. The following products were included in this recall:

Plant numbers and Julian dates can be found printed on the individual boxes. The Julian date follows the plant number, for example P1382-150.

None of the eggs were produced in Cal-Maine’s facilities or operations, and the affected product has since passed stated expiration dates.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis or arthritis.

Consumers who believe they may have purchased potentially affected shell eggs should not eat them but should return them to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. For further information and a complete listing of known brands, codes and dates involved please visit www.eggsafety.org9. Questions and concerns may also be directed to Cal-Maine’s corporate office at 1-866-276-6299 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CDT.

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packing and sale of fresh shell eggs. The Company, which is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, currently is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the United States and sells the majority of its shell eggs in approximately 29 states across the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.

It appears  research teams with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration may have uncovered the source of the Salmonella outbreak which has caused nearly 2,000 illnesses and resulted in the recall of over half a billion eggs throughout the United States.

Investigators examining farms owned by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms have found traces of Salmonella bacteria in pullet (young hens) feed at a Wright County Egg facility. In addition, the Salmonella bacteria has also been found in a supplement known as bone meal.

Investigators were also able to locate bacteria inside barns and on walkways of Wright County Egg facilities. An interesting twist is that pullets are sold by Wright County Egg to Hillandale Farms.

One thing is for sure, whatever the result of this outbreak…..Whether Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms are found to be the source of the bacteria or not…..food safety has taken on an entirely new dimension…at least for the moment. Foodborne illness concerns are now at the forefront of consumers’ minds every time they visit the grocery store.

Consumers must demand more stringent regulations within the egg industry  in addition to greater regulatory protection on the part of agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration. We cannot let this outbreak pass us by without at minimum gleaning ways to improve food safety throughout the country.

Curiosity got the better of me. Knowing that the hens housed at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms are still laying eggs, I wondered what was happening to all of those eggs. Both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms are at the center of the ongoing CDC and FDA investigation into a nation-wide Salmonella enteritidis outbreak. If Salmonella is on the inside of the egg, as is possible if the ovaries of the laying hen are infected with Salmonella bacteria, those new eggs could potentially still be infected.

So what is being done with all of those eggs? Both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms are gigantic operations. They have hens laying millions of eggs per day. Are these eggs simply being destroyed?

Well, a little internet researched turned up several articles that described how these new eggs, not the previously recalled eggs, are being pasteurized in order to kill any potential Salmonella bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration has an interesting website that describes this pasteurization process.

It seems that these in-shell eggs are being turned into what the egg industry refers to as egg product. Egg product should be Salmonella free because it is required to be pasteurized under government regulations. The Food and Drug Administration describes the pasteurization below:

How Are Egg Products Made?
Egg products are processed in sanitary facilities under continuous inspection by the USDA. The initial step in making egg products is breaking the eggs and separating the yolks and whites from the shells. Eggs are processed by automated equipment that moves the eggs from flats, washes and sanitizes the shells, breaks eggs and separates the whites and yolks, and/or makes mixtures of them. The liquid egg product is filtered, mixed, and then chilled prior to additional processing.

Why and How Are Egg Products Pasteurized?
The law requires that all egg products distributed for consumption be pasteurized. This means that they must be rapidly heated and held at a minimum required temperature for a specified time. This destroys Salmonella, but it does not cook the eggs or affect their color, flavor, nutritional value, or use. Dried whites are pasteurized by heating in the dried form, again for a specified time and at a minimum required temperature.

Since many new and different types of egg products are now being formulated, government and industry are currently evaluating the effectiveness of the pasteurization processes used for these and other products. Additional research will determine if supplemental or different safety measures are warranted to continue to provide safe egg products for foodservice, industry, and consumers.

Are All Egg Products Pasteurized?
Certain commodities are not presently considered egg products and are exempt from this law. These commodities, which are under the jurisdiction of the FDA, include freeze-dried products, imitation egg products, and egg substitutes. Inspected, pasteurized egg products are used to make these commodities, and companies may elect to re-pasteurize these products following formulation and before packaging.

As we continue to follow this dynamic Salmonella enteritids outbreak, we will pass on new information to you the consumer. Stay informed by visiting our website frequently.

As a result of the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to eggs, many questions have been raised regarding the FDA’s ability to successfully inspect large egg farms. The Salmonella outbreak has lead to numerous cases in which people have become sick from consuming tainted eggs. People infected by the Salmonella bacteria have reported symptoms that include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within eight to seventy hours of eating the contaminated eggs.

            The FDA is currently investigating the latest Salmonella outbreak to determine when and where things went wrong. The chief of the FDA, Margaret Hamburg, stated that it is not good enough that the FDA is able to react to an outbreak such as this, but instead, the FDA should be able to prevent similar outbreaks from ever occurring. The FDA claims it needs more authority to regulate food companies like large egg farms, if it wants to increase its chances of preventing another Salmonella outbreak. The increase in authority will also allow the FDA to pursue large egg farms and other companies that violate the rules and regulations and hold them accountable for their actions.

            Although the FDA’s initiatives look great on paper, many people are skeptical and believe that the FDA already had the appropriate amount of authority to prevent an outbreak but ultimately failed in implementing such authority. For example, the FDA is already in charge of overseeing the inspections for all shell eggs, just like the ones from which the recent Salmonella outbreak originated from.  It appears the FDA had the authority and ability to regulate and inspect these eggs; yet, the FDA was unable to prevent the recent Salmonella outbreak.

            The FDA hopes new legislation will address this problem and provide the FDA with the power needed to successfully enforce its rules and regulations. The FDA claims the legislation will enable them to put in place preventative controls that will reduce the chances of another Salmonella outbreak from taking place.

For many years, people believed that Salmonella bacteria, specifically Salmonella enteritidis, was found on the outside of an egg. It was thought that the fecal matter on the ground where a chicken laid her egg would come in contact with the egg shell. Then, if the eggs were not properly washed, Salmonella would contaminate the egg yolk and egg white when an egg was cracked.

Now, thanks to scientific advancements, we now know that Salmonella bacteria can exist both on the outside and inside of an egg. This poses a problem for many consumers. How can you tell if an egg is contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis bacteria?

In actuality, you cannot tell by looking at an egg whether or not it is a Salmonella carrier. The dirtiest egg in the bunch maybe Salmonella free while the cleanest looking egg may be covered in small microscopic Salmonella enteritidis bacterium. Or, there is a possibility that the Salmonella bacteria are already inside the egg you are about to crack open.

Because more than half a billion eggs have been recalled because of possible Salmonella infection, consumers want a quick and easy way to identify Salmonella contaminated eggs. Sadly, there is no quick and easy Salmonella identification method.

Salmonella bacteria can enter the inside of egg long before an egg is ever laid. The reason this happens is that the Salmonella enteritidis bacteria can sometimes be found in the ovary of an infected hen. The hen appears healthy, not Salmonella-infected. The only problem is that when the egg is formed, prior to the formation of the shell, the egg is already contaminated. Therefore, when an egg is cracked open, outcomes Salmonella.

Manufacturers should be aware that Salmonella is not solely found on the outside of an egg. These egg producers should know that simple cleaning of the outside of an egg will not prevent the spread of Salmonella enteritidis. Egg farms need to realize that if a laying hen is infected with Salmonella, her eggs could be too. The question then becomes: If they were the source, did Wright County Egg and Hillandale ensure that their laying hens were free of Salmonella? Could this entire Salmonella outbreak have been avoided by simply observing the policies laid out in the Egg Safety Action Plan?

We await the Congressional hearing results. It would be nice to know.