The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) recommends against eating any eggs produced by Daizen Farms of Burlington, Washington. The eggs were produced by hens that ate feed contamianted with rodent droppings and may contain Salmonella. This warning applies to all eggs produced by Daizen Farms that are currently in stores and may be in private homes.
The government says the eggs were packaged under unsanitary conditions. Inspectors saw rodent droppings inside an egg-washing machine.
The eggs were sold in 15-dozen flats and one-dozen consumer cartons. None of the egg packages have a date. The one-dozen cartons were usually sold directly from the farm.
The boxes with the 15-dozen egg flats violated state labeling requirements since they were not marked with branding or other identifying information. Those boxes were sold to independent Asian grocery stores and restaurants in Skagit, Snohomish, and King Counties.
There have been no illnesses linked to the eggs to date.
The FDA and the WSDA are investigating conditions at the farm. On March 8, 2012, the WSDA placed an embargo on all eggs at the farm so they could not be sold to the public, as well as embargoes on all future eggs produced by the same flock.
On March 19, 2012, the FDA lab in Bothell, Washington confirmed that chicken feed collected during the inspection tested positive for Salmonella. This increases the chances that the laying hens are infected with Salmonella.
The government advises consumers to treat raw eggs with care.
- Keep eggs, whether raw or hard-cooked, refrigerated below 40 degrees F at all times.
- Buy only from stores that keep them refrigerated.
- Discard cracked or dirty eggs.
- Wash hands and all food contact surfaces with soap and water after handling raw eggs.
- Cook eggs well done, until the white and yolk are both firm.
- All recipes using eggs should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
