Nutriom, a Washington firm, recalled over 226,710 pounds of processed egg products due to a possible salmonella contamination scare, according to a USDA report.
According to the report, the possibly contaminated egg products were produced between Feb. 28, 2013 and Feb, 8, 2014, and bear the establishment number "INSPECTED EGG PRODUCTS PLANT 21493G." The lot was shipped nationwide and to U.S. military installations in the United States and abroad as well as to Canada under the 'OvaEasy' brand name.
The possible contamination was detected and reported by Washington State Laboratories in response to a billing inquiry by Nutriom LLC who then notified FSIS personnel of the discrepancies in laboratory results.
Salmonella infection causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.
According to a CDC report, approximately 42,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported yearly in the United States. Because many milder cases are not diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections may be more.
This is not the first time a manufacturer has recalled its products due to such infections. In August 2011, Cargill was forced to recall 36,000,000 pounds of fresh and frozen ground turkey products produced at the company's Springdale facility after 26 people were hospitalized for Salmonella infections.
Earlier this year, Tyson Foods recalled 33,840 pounds of mechanically separated chicken products that were contaminated with a Salmonella Heidelberg strain. No causalities were reported because the products were recalled in time.
In December last year, The Cultured Kitchen voluntarily recalled its raw cashew cheese due to a risk of contamination with Salmonella. The non-dairy cashew cheese was distributed in Northern California and Nevada at various natural foods stores and farmers markets in the Sacramento Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, and Reno.
Click here for a complete list of similar recalls in the last few years.
