Eggs Exposed to Manure, Maggots, and Rodents

Reports from the federal investigation into salmonella-tainted eggs are in, and they ain't pretty. In fact, the dirty details are almost as stomach-churning as the salmonella poisoning itself.

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released findings from its investigation into Wright County Egg and Hillendale Farms, the two egg producers responsible for churning out salmonella-contaminated eggs that sickened nearly 1,500 people. According to the New York Times, investigators witnessed barns infested with flies, maggots, and rodents — not exactly the type of critters you want crawling all over your omelet ingredients. Investigators found pits beneath hen houses with piles of manure between four- and eight-feet high. Hens that had escaped from their cages were traipsing through the manure and running all over the barn. Wild birds also made their way into the facilities.

In addition to a host of creepy crawlies and excrement mountains, investigators found workers in violation of proper safety procedures. Barns failed to contain separate entrances, and laborers would walk from one barn to another without changing their protective clothing or cleaning tools.

Flies, rodents, maggots, manure, wild animals, and improper sanitation amongst workers — no wonder investigators couldn't pinpoint the exact source of the salmonella contamination at Wright County Egg and Hillendale Farms. There's so many violations happening all at once, it's hard to determine which one played the biggest part in creating the worst salmonella outbreak in U.S. history.

In light of this salmonella outbreak and recall of a half-billion eggs, FDA investigators plan to visit 600 of America's biggest egg producers to see if they're complying with new guidelines for eggs. These guidelines were established a long time ago, but only went into effect last month. FDA officials claim the new rules will prevent 79,000 illnesses and 30 deaths each year from salmonella poisoning.

And while the new guidelines do take steps in the right direction, there's still some serious cracks in the food safety system, especially where eggs are concerned. For one, 95 percent of America's eggs come from caged hen operations, where egg-laying chickens are housed practically on top of each other in tiny, battery cages. These factory farm operations greatly increase the likelihood that chickens will contract and spread salmonella.

Another issue is that the FDA lacks the power to conduct frequent investigations of places like Wright County Egg. The agency also can't issue mandatory food recalls — all food recalls in the country take place on a voluntary basis by food producers, generally the same companies that cause these outbreaks of foodborne illness in the first place.

Tell Congress we want an agency that will actually ensure Americans' food is safe. Sign the Consumers Union petition asking the U.S. Senate to pass the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, a bill that would mandate more frequency inspections of places like Wright County Egg and hold food safety offenders accountable for their actions.

Photo credit: StaraBlazkova via Wikimedia Commons