Walmart customers urged to return eggs in massive nationwide recall — all key details revealed
Quality issues at retailers such as Costco and Walmart are being reported by consumers on social media, but more serious cases of food contamination are triggering large-scale recalls. The FDA has warned of a major Salmonella outbreak and recalled poultry, mainly eggs, from many supermarket chains, including Walmart. Health authorities have set a red flag for eggs distributed by the August Egg Company, with the California company recalling 1.7 million cartons of contaminated brown eggs sold in nine states. According to USA Today, 79 consumers have reportedly been affected by the bacteria and 21 have been hospitalized with severe complications; however, fatalities haven't been reported so far. The FDA revealed that brown cage-free and certified organic eggs sold in the last four months have been recalled.
The August Egg Company released an official statement notifying that it is trying to "identify what measures can be established to prevent this situation from recurring. It is important to know that when our processing plant identified this concern, we immediately began diverting all eggs from the plant to an egg-breaking facility, which pasteurizes the eggs and kills any pathogens." Multiple reports suggest that independent research carried out by the FDA resulted in several egg batches testing positive for Salmonella risk.
Eggs that were sold in Save Mart, FoodMaxx, and various other retail outlets between May 15 to June 4 in California and Nevada have been recalled. Similarly, eggs sold at Walmart between May 6 to June 19 in California, Nebraska, and Indiana have met the same fate. The FDA has put up a list of the recalled eggs with their batch code numbers for easy identification. Consumers have been urged to return the affected eggs, for which they will be getting a full refund. Simultaneously, consumers have been told to contact health authorities or seek medical assistance in case of Salmonella symptoms, which include severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, and headache.
According to a report in Today, the August Egg Company has set up a helpline for consumer queries: 1-800-710-2554 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT. Consumers have been advised to undertake adequate precautions for their health. Extra hygiene has to be maintained by washing hands and segregating raw food like chicken, meat, and seafood to avoid cross-contamination. Preparation of food at an optimal temperature and carrying out timely refrigeration. Consumers suffering from sickle cell are at an increased risk of the disease; similarly, people who have been diagnosed with infections that affect immunity are at a higher risk of contracting the Salmonella infection.
Infants and consumers over the age of 65 are also at risk of the infection. Since the investigation by the FDA is ongoing, the details of the outbreak have been limited. However, an awareness has been generated on social media, and consumers have been alerted to the impending causes of the disease. With the FDA guidelines and buzz, the outbreak may be contained within time.
