Why Egg Salmonella Recalls Keep Happening (And What We Can Do About It)
- Jamilya Woods
- Sep 4
- 2 min read
Why do egg recalls seem to make the news so often? Its not random and it tells us a lot about how our food system works. Here’s why it keeps happening and what we can do about it.
1. What’s Going On Right Now
There’s a major egg recall in progress involving Country Eggs, LLC (Lucerne Valley, CA) after a Salmonella enteritidis outbreak made at least 95 people ill across 14 states. Eighteen were hospitalized, but thankfully, no deaths have been reported so far.
The eggs affected were large brown cage-free “Sunshine Yolks” or “Omega-3 Golden Yolks,” sold under brands like Nagatoshi Produce, Misuho, and Nijiya Markets, and wrapped with the code CA‑7695 and sell-by dates from July 1 – September 18.
FDA investigations traced the source back to Country Eggs, and the CDC confirmed that 92% of those interviewed had eaten eggs before falling sick. If you already have eggs from these brands at home, stop eating them and either return them or dispose of them safely.
2. Why Do Salmonella Outbreaks Keep Happening with Eggs?
It can be inside the egg. Salmonella can infect the hen’s ovaries before the shell forms, embedding bacteria in the yolk or albumen. Even a clean shell can be contaminated from within.
Or it can be outside the egg if the hen lives in a dirty environment, bacteria from feces and nesting areas can end up on the shell.
With that in mind, washing eggs helps but doesn’t fix hens who are already infected. When farms are large-scale (like factory-type operations), it becomes easier for illness to spread rapidly across the flock. That’s why outbreaks tend to be bigger from big distributors, not necessarily because they’re careless, but because the scale amplifies the damage.
3. Prevention: From Farm to Table
What the CDC & FDA say for consumers:
Don’t eat recalled eggs.
Return or discard them.
Clean and sanitize any surfaces that they touched.
Cook eggs thoroughly and avoid recipes with raw eggs.
From the farm side:
Small-scale and transparent operations often have tighter biosecurity and closer monitoring.
Regular testing, clean housing, and hygienic handling help reduce risks across the board.
This isn’t about shaming big farms, it’s about encouraging practices that keep everyone safer. Monitoring systems and scale matter, but so do oversight and care. It's not that large farms are careless, but when you're managing millions of hens, one small problem can spread fast.
4. Why It Matters and What You Can Do Now
Egg recalls aren’t just a food safety headline; they’re a signal that our whole food system could do better. That’s why I’m passionate about partnering with local, transparent producers who follow honest, clean practices.
If you want food that’s fresh, traceable and raised with care check out The Woods Hub. Because you deserve to know what's behind your food.
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