FDA Recommendations in Wake of Egg Recall

In the wake of this past weekend’s recall of more than 200 million eggs sold in nine states that have left at least 23 people sickened with salmonella, The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) released recommendations for what retailers can do to help reduce the effects of the outbreak.

Retailers should not sell or use any recalled shell eggs. Retailers should dispose of any of the listed shell eggs by throwing them in the garbage or return them to the place of purchase for credit or refund.

Retailers should also be aware that the recalled shell eggs may be a source of pathogens and should control the potential for cross–contamination of food processing equipment and the food processing environment. They should:

• Wash and sanitize display cases and refrigerators regularly.
• Wash and sanitize cutting boards, surfaces, and utensils used to prepare, serve, or store food. 
• Wash hands with hot water and soap following the cleaning and sanitation process.

The source of the outbreak was traced back to Rose Acre Farms, which has voluntarily recalled eggs from the farm in North Carolina's Hyde County. The eggs were sold under several brand names, including Coburn Farms, Country Daybreak, Food Lion, Glenview, Great Value, Nelms and Sunshine Farms. The recalled eggs were also sold to foodservice establishments.

Lettuce Recall

Other recall news breaking over the weekend included the USDA announcement that Fresh Foods Manufacturing Co. is voluntarily recalling nearly 9,000 pounds of ready-to-eat romaine lettuce that may be contaminated with E. coli. The ready-to-eat salad products were produced from April 9 to 12 and have a shelf life of four days.