Egg recall triggers warning in five states

An egg recall has prompted a warning about possible salmonella infection in five states.

According to a recall notice released Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Handsome Brook Farms has initiated the voluntary recall of its 24-count organic pasture-raised eggs sold under the Kirkland Signature brand name after the packaging of eggs was not suitable for use This purpose was intended for distribution.

The affected product was distributed to 25 Costco stores in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. The recall affects eggs packaged in a plastic carton with Julian code 327 and an expiration date of “6. January 2025” are packed. The UPC number 9661910680 is also shown on the packaging.

No other Handsome Brook Farms or Kirkland Signature products are affected by this recall, while the company said “additional controls and supply chain retraining” are underway “to prevent a recurrence” of the issue.

Shauna Grob, operations and finance manager at Handsome Brook Farms, wrote an email Newsweek Regarding the recall, it states, among other things: “No illnesses at all have been reported. We received a number of calls from consumers to confirm whether the devices they had in their possession were subject to recall, but this was the only interaction we have had with consumers to date since the release of the press release and notice to Costco consumers.”

Customers who have the recalled product should not consume the eggs and instead return them to their local Costco store for a full refund.

Anyone with additional questions about the recall can call Handsome Brook Farms at 646-733-4532, extension 1, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, the release said.

Salmonella is the most common cause of food poisoning in the United States. Eating contaminated food can cause an infection known as salmonellosis, which can occur six hours to six days after consumption, according to the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are vulnerable to potentially fatal infections, although most cases of salmonellosis are mild. Symptoms, which usually last four to seven days, include abdominal cramps, diarrhea and fever. In severe cases, a number of other symptoms affecting the joints and nervous system may occur.

Eggs are often contaminated with salmonella because chickens and other poultry often carry the bacteria. While the pathogen is most likely to be found on the shells of eggs, the interior can also become contaminated, exposing people who eat raw or undercooked eggs to possible infection.

“Salmonella can get on eggshells,” explains a page on the FoodSafety.Gov website. “This can happen when birds lay eggs and when eggs come into contact with bird droppings (feces) after they are laid. Touching eggs from the supermarket is not a major cause of illness as these eggs are washed before they are sold.”

“Salmonella can also penetrate eggs,” it continues. “This happens while the egg is forming inside the chicken, before the egg forms a shell. Far fewer laying hens have this problem today than in the 1980s and 1990s, so eggs are safer. But some eggs are still contaminated with salmonella.”