The Kane County Health Department is advising that the Good Earth Egg Company, LLC of Bonne Terre, MO, has announced a voluntary recall of its shell eggs because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that eight illnesses in three states have been linked to eggs distributed by Good Earth Egg Company, and the Food and Drug Administration has notified Good Earth Egg that a link has been established between eggs distributed by its facility to six cases of Salmonella illnesses in Missouri, one in Kansas and one in Illinois. The Illinois case was not reported in Kane County.

In light of this investigation, Good Earth Egg Company has initiated a voluntary recall of all shell eggs. Various sizes of shell eggs are packaged in the following ways: six-count cartons, 10-count cartons, 12-count cartons, 18-count cartons, 15-dozen cases and 30-dozen cases.

The dates and codes on the cartons and cases will include everything prior to and including date code 252 — Sell By 10/08/2016, with “Packed for” or “Produced for Good Earth Egg Company.”

The Good Earth Egg Company recalled products were distributed throughout the Midwest, including Missouri, Illinois and Kansas, at the retail and wholesale level, institutions, restaurants and to walk-in customers. Good Earth eggs were sold at Dierbergs, Straubs, Midtowne Market and Price Chopper in the metropolitan St. Louis area.

Salmonella  is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

Good Earth Egg Company is working with distributors and retailers to remove these products from wholesale suppliers and retail shelves. Consumers do not need to return the product to the store where it was purchased. Instead, consumers should discard any product and its container. The company will work directly with each consumer to manage replacement of its product.

Consumers with questions may contact Good Earth Egg Company, LLC at goodeartheggco@hotmail.com.

SOURCE: Kane County Health Department news release

What is the Problem and What is Being Done About It?

SOURCE: FDA website

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Missouri state and local officials are investigating Salmonella Oranienburg illnesses linked to shell eggs distributed by Good Earth Egg Company LLC.

Environmental samples taken at Good Earth Egg Company by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services during a recent FDA-assisted inspection tested positive for the strain of Salmonella Oranienburg found in ill people.

CDC reports eight illnesses in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri that have been linked to eggs distributed by Good Earth Egg Company.

2016 Outbreak Investigation

In August 2016, CDC notified the FDA of eight clinical cases that were closely related genetically to the 2015 outbreak strain of Salmonella Oranienburg. Salmonella isolates from ill people in 2016 and from eggs supplied to a restaurant where three ill individuals ate were closely genetically related by whole genome sequencing (WGS) to the Salmonella Oranienburg strain found at Good Earth Egg Company’s facility in 2015. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, assisted by the FDA, inspected Good Earth Egg Company in September 2016 and found additional environmental samples from the company were a PFGE match to the Salmonella strain found in people who reported illness in 2015 and 2016.

Missouri state partners issued a second close order to Good Earth Egg Company. The order will remain in effect until the cause for illness is removed and satisfactory environmental samples are collected.