Salmonella Related Egg Recalls Continue Against Egg Producers With History of Violating the Law

The twelfth overall egg recall of this month was issued on Friday, August 27, 2010 by Sparboe Farms based out of Litchfield, Minnesota. The eggs were produced by Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms and packaged by Sparboe Farms. The recall is due to an association between their eggs and an ongoing salmonella outbreak, which has caused salmonella illnesses in more than 100,000 people in the United States.

The eggs from this recall had made it to stores and food service establishments in Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota. The eggs were sold under brand names including Albertson, Sparboe Farms, Liborio Market, Shamrock Foods and Glenview Farms.

Salmonella illness is a serious matter. It can cause fever, abdominal pains, and diarrhea. The symptoms develop 12 to 72 hours after exposure to the salmonella. While most people recover within 4 to 7 days, there are some groups of people at a higher risk such as the elderly, infants, and people with compromised immune systems such as cancer patients or organ recipients. In these individuals, the bacteria may travel from the intestines to the blood stream and other parts of the bodies, possibly leading to death, if the individual is not treated promptly with antibiotics.

At least three lawsuits have been filed against Wright County Egg, a company owned by Austin "Jack" DeCoster, who has been considered a habitual violator of environmental laws.