Over 6 million eggs are being yanked from shelves across the nation due to fears of salmonella contamination, as USA Today reports.
Announced by the Food and Drug Administration, this sweeping recall targets products from Black Sheep Egg Company and Kenz Henz, with distribution reaching multiple states and possibly beyond through repackaging by third parties.
Let’s roll back the clock to late September, when Black Sheep Egg Company voluntarily recalled hundreds of thousands of egg cartons after FDA tests uncovered seven distinct Salmonella strains in 40 samples from their Arkansas facility. That’s a microbial cocktail no one ordered. And while the progressive crowd might lecture us on "trusting the science," it’s hard not to wonder why such lapses keep slipping through the cracks of our food safety net.
Fast forward to mid-October, and the FDA expanded its advisory as Kenz Henz joined the recall list with their 12-count egg cartons. It’s another blow to consumer confidence when even pasture-raised, fancy-labeled eggs aren’t safe.
Black Sheep’s recalled eggs, sold between early July and mid-September, hit retailers and wholesalers in states like Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, California, and Indiana. Some of these eggs might be hiding under different branding, thanks to repackaging by other companies. If that doesn’t make you question the labyrinth of our food supply chain, what will?
As for Kenz Henz, their affected products—grade AA large pasture-raised eggs—were sold in Houston retail stores with specific best-by dates in early to mid-October. No illnesses have been tied to their recall yet, per the FDA, but that’s cold comfort when thousands of these eggs could already be in your fridge.
Let’s break down the specifics of Black Sheep’s recalled items: 12-count and 18-count cartons of free-range large grade A brown eggs, with best-by dates spanning late August to late October. Check those UPC codes—860010568507 and 860010568538—if you’ve got a stash. The last thing anyone needs is a side of salmonella with their morning scramble.
Kenz Henz’s recall targets 12-count cartons of grade AA large pasture-raised eggs, with best-by dates from October 11-14 and 16-17, under UPC 86949400030. If you’re in Houston, double-check your carton before whipping up that omelet. It’s a stark reminder that even "premium" labels don’t guarantee safety.
The FDA warns that Black Sheep’s eggs could have spread to more states than initially listed, with plans to update the recall if more tainted batches surface. That’s a bureaucratic heads-up that sounds more like a shrug than a solution. While some might call this overreach, most of us just want to know our groceries aren’t a health hazard.
For now, the advice is clear: don’t eat, sell, or serve these recalled eggs. Return them for a refund or toss them out, and if you’re unsure about unlabeled eggs in your fridge, better safe than sorry—chuck them. It’s a hassle, but far less painful than a bout of food poisoning.
Restaurants and retailers are also on notice to pull these products, as some recalled eggs were delivered in bulk to third parties. Cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces or containers that might have touched these eggs is a must. Let’s not give the nanny-state crowd an excuse to mandate even more regulations when common sense can handle this.
Basic hygiene goes a long way—wash hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling raw eggs or foods containing them. It’s not rocket science, just good old-fashioned responsibility. Yet, in an era where personal accountability often takes a backseat to government oversight, even this feels like a radical suggestion.
Salmonella isn’t just a minor inconvenience; symptoms can hit hard with diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps starting anywhere from six hours to six days after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most healthy folks recover in a few days without treatment, but it’s no walk in the park.
For kids under 5, seniors over 65, and those with compromised immune systems, the illness can turn severe, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The CDC urges anyone with intense symptoms—like a fever over 102 degrees, prolonged diarrhea, or signs of dehydration—to seek medical help pronto.
It’s a sobering reality check that not everyone bounces back easily, no matter how much the wellness influencers downplay such risks.
