With the number of recalled eggs reaching 500 million, federal officials said they have received reports of 40 more illnesses and that investigators are exploring shared links that the two Iowa companies had for their feed and chicks.
Margaret Hamburg, MD, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, told reporters at a press conference today that there are more than 20 investigators at locations in Iowa investigating the Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) linked to two of the state's egg producers, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. She said so far there is no evidence implicating any other farms.
Hamburg called the SE outbreak's timing, coming about a month after sweeping new federal egg safety rules went into effect, an "unfortunate coincidence." She said the outbreaks might have been prevented if the rules, which enable FDA authorities to inspect farms to ensure that they are following the new standards, went into effect sooner.
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