The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes that is linked to fresh, hard-boiled eggs produced by Almark Foods.
According to a food safety alert from the CDC, the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has caused seven illnesses in five states. States where people became ill include Florida, Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.
Of those seven people, four of them were hospitalized, and there was one death. Also affected was a newborn baby who was infected while the mother was pregnant. The baby survived.
Interviews with people who became ill and laboratory evidence indicated that bulk, fresh hard-boiled eggs produced by Almark Foods of Gainesville, Georgia, are a likely source of this outbreak. These eggs, which were peeled, were packaged in plastic pails and sold under various brand names nationwide to food service operators, including grocery stores and restaurants.
Almark Foods has since recalled all hard-boiled and peeled eggs in pails produced at the Gainsville facility. The recalled products are packaged in white plastic pails with white plastic lids. The eggs were sold under several brand names, including Allmark Foods, Egggs Select, Nic’s Peeled Pearls, Rainbow Farms and Sutherland’s Food Service Inc.
The company has suspended production of these products as the matter is further investigated. This investigation is ongoing in an effort to determine if additional products are linked to illness.
Because Listeria can cause severe infections, CDC is warning against selling, serving, or using these hard-boiled eggs to make other foods, such as egg salad. The agency also advises that all store-bought hard-boiled eggs or products that contain them be discarded, regardless of when they were purchased. CDC also recommends washing and sanitizing refrigerator and freezer drawers and shelves where such products might have been stored.
