‘Nationwide alert’ issued for hard boiled eggs due to listeria concerns
If deviled eggs are part of your holiday spread, and you utilize store bought hard boiled eggs, you’re going to want to double check any eggs you’ve recently purchased. The Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have released a “nationwide alert” for Almark Eggs.
The “peeled & ready to eat” eggs were sold by Almark Foods of Gainesville, Georgia and distributed across the United States in “plastic pails”. Not only were the eggs sold in stores, they were also distributed to restaurants according to CNN’s reporting. CNN notes though that “Almark Foods hard boiled eggs sold directly to consumers and those hard-boiled at stores or restaurants are not included in the alert.” Furthermore, the eggs haven’t actually been recalled, an alert has simply been issued.
What makes this listeria outbreak especially concerning? Well, it’s likely some consumers won’t know they’re eating listeria contaminated eggs. Listeria is of great concern for those who are pregnant, nursing, or seniors 65 and older. If you’ve recently consumed store bought hard boiled eggs and are experiencing flu-like symptoms, headaches, confusion, or balance loss, you may have a listeria infection. Symptoms usually manifest within one to four weeks after consumption.
So far, the listeria outbreak has resulted in at least one death, and four of the seven sickened people have been hospitalized. Illnesses linked to this listeria outbreak go back as far as April of 2017, and run through November 12, 2019. To be safe, the CDC recommends throwing out any store-bought hard boiled eggs, and consumers should “sanitize the places where they were stored”.
For CNN’s full report, click here: https://cnn.it/35IC0rK
To read the CDC’s nationwide alert, follow this link: https://bit.ly/2r95f87