Peninsula Daily News news services
OLYMPIA — Grocers and state health authorities say a nationwide recall of a half-billion potentially contaminated eggs probably won’t have any effect on Washington state consumers.
Officials of three major supermarket chains in Washington — Albertsons, Fred Meyer and Safeway — said that none of the recalled eggs was sold at their Washington outlets.
Likewise, QFC stores reported no potentially contaminated eggs in their stores.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included Washington state on the list of affected states, but health officials believe that few, if any, potentially contaminated eggs were distributed here.
State Health Department spokesman Don Moyer said there has been no evidence of any unusual uptick in food poisoning in Washington caused by contaminated eggs.
In a normal year, the state expects to see some 600 to 800 salmonella-related illnesses in Washington caused by a variety of sources, Moyer said.
There has been no noticeable increase in reported cases, he said.
Two large Iowa egg producers have recalled a half-billion eggs after laboratory tests confirmed salmonella bacteria.
More than 1,300 people across the country have already been sickened — there have been no deaths reported.
The toll of illnesses, which can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems, is expected to increase.
Investigators from the Food and Drug Administration are trying to find the cause of the outbreak, but so far haven’t pinpointed the source.
The 550 million recalled eggs went to stores or distributors in mostly western or midwestern states and were shipped nationwide under a variety of brand names.
Clallam and Jefferson County residents can ensure that their eggs aren’t affected by inspecting the code numbers printed on the cartons and comparing them with a recall list at an FDA website, http://bit.ly/9yambn.
The salmonella outbreak has raised questions about federal inspections of egg farms.
The head of the FDA said Monday her agency is taking the massive egg recall “very, very seriously,” but needs more enforcement powers.
Appearing on morning news shows, Margaret Hamburg urged passage of legislation pending in Congress that would give her agency significantly more authority to intervene in the area of food safety.
Hamburg also said the FDA wants to shift its focus to “a preventive approach” to identify problems in the food supply before they cause disease outbreaks.
“We need better abilities and authorities to put in place these preventive controls and hold companies accountable,” Hamburg said on NBC’s “Today” show.
She also had some practical advice for consumers: Reject the over-easy cooking style.
She said that as the investigation proceeds, there should be “no more runny egg yolks for mopping up with toast.”
Two Iowa farms linked to the disease outbreak — Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms — share suppliers of chickens and feed as well as ties to an Iowa business with a history of violating state and federal law.
The egg industry has consolidated over recent years, placing fewer, larger businesses in control over much of the nation’s egg supply to consumers.
