Egg sales suspended
After Salmonella was detected in non-egg samples at an Auckland hatchery earlier this year by New Zealand Food Safety officials, egg sales were suspended as a precaution until they can be proven safe for consumption.
According to Food Safety News, Paul Dansted, Director of Food Regulation at New Zealand Food Safety, stated that there has been an increase in human (illness) cases caused by the strain of Salmonella identified, although no eggs had tested positive. Dansted also explained that they are working closely with the Ministry of Health to monitor the situation.
To prevent further infection at the hatchery, sheds were sanitized, potentially affected chickens were culled, and testing frequency increased.
Two farms test positive
Furthermore, Dansted indicated that their product tracing system included 64 farms, which were also tested.
Two of those farms supplied by the hatchery tested positive and were required to hold product from shipping until the issue could be resolved. The assumption is that the Auckland hatchery contained affected birds, and those birds were moved through multiple farms, contaminating the supply chain even further.
1 News stated that while no eggs have tested positive, potentially affected eggs are marketed under multiple brand names, and possibly still exist in consumer’s homes. The precautionary concern over the supply chain stems from the fact that the farms supplied by the hatchery had internal samples that tested positive with this specific serotype.
Therefore, the following recommendations to prevent sickness were made to consumers: refrigerate your eggs, check the expiration dates, cook thoroughly – until the white is completely firm and the yolk thickens, and wash your hands and product contact surfaces afterwards.
