6+ Million Eggs Recalled for Salmonella Contamination (Here’s How To Tell if Yours Are Affected)

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of over 6 million eggs from Black Sheep Egg Company, LLC, due to potential salmonella contamination. This comes shortly after the FDA inspected Black Sheep Egg Company's processing facility and had 40 of its environmental samples test positive for salmonella.

The FDA has classified this recall as "Class I," meaning it's reasonable to assume that eating any of the affected eggs "will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."

How To Identify the Recalled Eggs

The Black Sheep Egg Company recall affects two different types of eggs directly available to consumers:

• Free Range Grade A Large Brown Eggs, 12-count cartons (UPC: 860010568507)
• Free Range Grade A Large Brown Eggs, 18-count cartons (UPC: 860010568538)

It also affects the following types of eggs, which were sent on to distributors who may have repackaged them:

• Free Range Grade AA Large Brown Eggs
• Free Range Grade AA Medium Brown Eggs
• Free Range Grade AA Large White Eggs
• Free Range Grade AA Medium White Eggs

Right now, we know that the eggs were sent to wholesale locations in Arkansas and Missouri, as well as wholesale and broker locations in Mississippi, Texas, California, and Indiana. When we learn more about which states received the contaminated eggs and which retailers sold them, we'll update our story.

What To Do Next

You should not eat any potentially contaminated eggs. If you have recalled eggs in your refrigerator, throw them away or return them to the grocery store and request a refund. If you store eggs without the original packaging and don't know if yours are part of this recall, a safe option is to throw them away.

Then, carefully clean any surfaces that the recalled eggs touched using a sanitizer solution. This process is different than everyday cleaning! To avoid spreading salmonella, follow the CDC's steps for cleaning your refrigerator.

If you think you have symptoms of a salmonella infection after eating recalled eggs, contact your healthcare provider ASAP. In most cases, people infected with salmonella will develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. (Expect typical "food poisoning" symptoms like diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.) The illness lasts four to seven days, and most healthy adults will recover without treatment.

However, children under five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems may experience more severe symptoms. To report an illness, use the FDA's Industry and Consumer Assistance tool.