Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Gravel Ridge Farms Shell Eggs

CDC continues to advise consumers, restaurants, and retailers not to eat, serve, or sell Gravel Ridge Farms cage-free large eggs, which have been linked to a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections. Read the Food Safety Alert: https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/enteritidis-09-18/index.html

Updates:

• Since the last update on September 10, 2018, 24 more illnesses have been reported, bringing the total to 38 cases from seven states.
• Ten people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
• Five more states reported ill people: Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, and Montana.
• Illnesses in this outbreak started on dates ranging from June 17, 2018, to August 16, 2018.
• Whole genome sequencing results showed that Salmonella Enteritidis identified in environmental samples and in eggs collected from the Gravel Ridge Farms facility in Alabama was closely related genetically to the Salmonella from ill people.
• The investigation is ongoing and CDC will provide more information as it becomes available.

Advice to consumers:

• On September 8, 2018, Gravel Ridge Farms recalled cage-free large eggs because they might be contaminated with Salmonella.
• Do not eat, sell, or serve Gravel Ridge Farms cage-free large eggs. Return them to the store for a refund or throw them away. Even if some eggs were eaten and no one got sick, do not eat any more of these eggs.
  • Gravel Ridge Farms recalled packages of a dozen and 2.5 dozen eggs in cardboard containers.
  • Recalled eggs were sold in grocery stores and to restaurants in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. For a full list of stores where recalled eggs were sold, visit the FDA website.
• Consumers and restaurants should always handle and cook eggs safely to avoid foodborne illness from raw eggs.
  • Eggs should be cooked until both the yolk and white are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny.
  • Make sure that foods that contain raw or lightly cooked eggs, such as eggs over easy or hollandaise sauce, are made only with pasteurized eggs.
• Contact a healthcare provider if you think you got sick from eating recalled Gravel Ridge Farms shell eggs.
• People get sick from Salmonella 12 to 72 hours after swallowing the germ and experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
• Most people recover within a week, but some illnesses can last longer and be more severe.

If you have further questions about this outbreak, please call the CDC media line at (404) 639-3286. If you have questions about cases in a particular state, please call that state’s health department.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES