The Biggest Egg Recall In Us History Caused Thousands Of Illnesses

Recent increases in food recalls have caused concern for some folks over the safety of their store-bought cuisine, but ultimately, it means watchdog organizations and companies are getting better at identifying potential problems and recalling products before situations get out of hand. Still, that hasn't always been the case. In 2010, two egg producers caused an estimated 1,939 people to become ill from eggs tainted with salmonella, resulting in the recall of about 500 million fresh eggs.

Early in 2010, the CDC was investigating outbreaks of salmonella in an effort to find the source of the contamination. Its search led to an egg producer in Iowa called Wright County Egg, as well as another company named Hillandale Farms. Although no deaths were connected to the foodborne illness outbreak, the typical symptoms of salmonella — including diarrhea, cramps, fever, and vomiting — were reported by many. 

The primary reason food recalls are issued is contamination of some kind, be it bacteria like salmonella, E. coli, or listeria (the last of which was the reason behind the recent recall of broccoli sold at Walmart in 20 states). Yet, the largest egg recall in U.S. history might have been preventable had the owner of Wright County Egg cleaned up the company's act sooner. Indeed, he had been given multiple warnings over the years and eventually came to be known as a habitual food safety offender.

When Wright County Egg was at the center of the largest egg recall in U.S. history, Jack DeCoster was at the company's helm. A year before the CDC was investigating the salmonella outbreak, DeCoster was dealing with charges that revealed the chickens on his farms were routinely mistreated (along with allegations of worker safety issues, environmental violations, and previous problems with salmonella detected at other facilities owned and operated by DeCoster). Multiple counts of animal cruelty were levied against Wright's owner, resulting in millions in fines (DeCoster apparently paid closer to $100,000 and was given a three-month prison sentence for the 2010 outbreak, alongside his son and fellow egg executive, Peter DeCoster). With the salmonella outbreak the following year, it would seem that the hefty fines weren't enough to influence a positive change in how his business was being operated.

The FDA has since refined the rules regarding how to produce eggs safely, and the company's ship was right and set in compliance with the new standards. Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms developed more stringent sanitation and animal health practices; both still operate today, with leaders certainly hoping to never again experience a recall like they did in 2010.