Tips to Reduce Risk of Salmonella

In case you haven't been keeping up with the news, you might want to be wary of your eggs. There may be bacteria lurking in your eggs Benedict due to a recent suspected salmonella contamination at Hillandale Farms and Wright County Eggs in Galt, Iowa.

Food and Drug Administration alerted the company of salmonella contamination at one of its farms. The FDA encountered salmonella enteritidis during a routine inspection, at which point the company voluntarily sounded the alarms.

Salmonella bacteria can cause infections that may result in fever, nausea/vomiting, chills, muscle cramps and pain, and/or diarrhea. Symptoms usually pass within a few days, but can last much longer in children and people with weakened immune systems. Salmonella is more likely to be found in undercooked eggs or those stored above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

As of now, there may be as many as 1,500 cases of food poisoning related to contaminated eggs. Wright County Eggs cautions consumers to be on the lookout for the following:

Eggs sold under the brands Lucerne, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Albertson, Sunshine, Hillandale, Farm Fresh, Trafficanda, Lund, Shoreland, Kemps and Dutch Farms.

Six-, eight-, or 18-egg cartons with labels starting with the letter P; containing code numbers 1026, 1413 or 1946, and Julian dates between 136 and 225. A label would appear as "P-(Code Number)-(Julian Date)"

The recall only affects shell eggs, and Wright County Eggs assures consumers that its other egg products are safe. The company continues to work with the FDA to investigate possible sources of contamination. They have further taken steps to destroy any potentially affected eggs.

In the meantime, you can keep up with the latest egg updates from the Egg Safety Center or the Food and Drug Administration.