Statement of Egg Safety Center on Egg Recall by Wright County Egg

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, is voluntarily recalling specific Julian dates of shell eggs produced by their farms because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, a food-borne bacteria.  The company is making this voluntary recall of products because testing at the company's farm showed some of the eggs may contain the bacteria.

Consumers should return the eggs in the original carton to the store where they were purchased for a full refund.  Eggs affected by this recall were distributed to food wholesalers, distribution centers and foodservice companies in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.  These companies distribute nationwide.

Eggs are packaged under the following brand names:  Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps.  Eggs are packed in varying sizes of cartons (6-egg cartons, dozen egg cartons, 18-egg cartons) with Julian dates ranging from 136 to 225 and plant numbers 1026, 1413 and 1946.  Dates and codes can be found stamped on the end of the egg carton.  The plant number begins with the letter P and then the number.  The Julian date follows the plant number, for example:  P-1946 223.

Consumers are reminded that properly storing, handling and cooking eggs should help prevent food-borne illness. The Egg Safety Center and the Food and Drug Administration recommend that eggs should be fully cooked until both the yolks and the whites are firm, and consumers should not eat foods that may contain raw or undercooked eggs.  For more information on proper handling and preparation of eggs and answers to other frequently asked questions, visit www.eggsafety.org.

The chance of an egg containing Salmonella Enteritidis is rare in the United States.  Several years ago, it was estimated that 1 in 20,000 eggs might have been contaminated, which meant most consumers probably wouldn't come in contact with such an egg but 1 time in 84 years.  Since that time most U.S. egg farmers have been employing tougher food safety measures to help protect against food-borne illness.  Chief among these methods are modern, sanitary housing systems; stringent rodent control and bio-security controls; inoculation against Salmonella Enteritidis; cleaning and sanitization of poultry houses and farms; and testing.

About the Egg Safety Center

The Egg Safety Center provides scientifically accurate information on food safety issues related to eggs. We work with egg producers to provide them with the most up to date information available and are dedicated to educating consumers on proper food handling to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness.  For more information on egg safety visit www.eggsafety.org.

SOURCE Egg Safety Center