A salmonella outbreak in California has led to a nationwide egg shortage.
Eggs are in short supply across the US due to an outbreak of salmonella in California, which is raising prices for consumers. The shortage is expected to last through December. It comes as egg prices have already been on the rise due to a bird flu outbreak that killed more than 48 million chickens since late 2015.
How did the Salmonella outbreak start?
Salmonella enteritidis was found at an egg farm in central California. The eggs were distributed across nine states, including Texas, before being recalled. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 1,900 cases of illness linked with the outbreak so far. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 12-72 hours of eating contaminated food.
What does this mean for consumers?
“This is a serious situation,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in a statement on October 26th. “We are taking aggressive action against it.” Gottlieb said that his agency was working with producers and distributors to mitigate the problem and bring back normal supplies as soon as possible.
“Consumers should know that it’s safe to eat hard-cooked eggs,” Gottlieb added, “but that raw shell eggs can be contaminated with Salmonella.” Cooking eggs thoroughly will kill any bacteria present.
