Federal officials have tied eight cases of salmonella over the summer to a family-run egg company an hour south of St. Louis.
The Good Earth Egg Company in Bonne Terre, Missouri has been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the likely source of the infections, although investigations are ongoing. The company has recalled all of its shell eggs with sell-by dates before Oct. 8, 2016.
The cases are genetically similar to an outbreak in 2015 that was traced to the same distributor.
In the latest case, the eggs were sold to wholesalers, walk-in customers and several supermarkets in the St. Louis area. Because some packages were sold under different brands, consumers are asked to check labels for license number D-01124, or the terms “Packed for” and “Produced for Good Earth Egg Company.”
The company could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.
Eight people in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas fell ill between mid-April and late August of this year. Two were hospitalized. Due to salmonella’s incubation period, illnesses that occurred after Sept. 9 might not yet be reported.
Late last year, 52 people were sickened in an outbreak that prompted Good Earth to recall all of its shell eggs on Jan. 9, 2016. In February, the Food and Drug Administration sent the firm a letter detailing food safety violations at the farm, such as inadequate testing for salmonella and a lack of monitoring for rodents. Investigators also cited the company for allowing customers to visit the processing area to purchase eggs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend always cooking beef, poultry and eggs thoroughly to avoid salmonella poisoning. If consumers have the recalled eggs in their possession, CDC officials recommend that they throw them out immediately and contact Good Earth for reimbursement.
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