Eggs Sold at Costco Recalled Over Salmonella Concerns

Published: 11/29/2024, 6:57:01 PM EST

Eggs Sold at Costco Recalled Over Salmonella Concerns — An image of the recalled Kirkland Signature Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs. (FDA)

A dairy supplier has recalled more than a quarter of a million eggs over salmonella concerns after they were inadvertently shipped to Costco stores.

The egg producer, Handsome Brook Farms, said it is voluntarily recalling 10,800 retail units of the Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs sold under the Kirkland Signature brand name, over concerns that the eggs may be contaminated with salmonella.

The recall is being done in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

These recalled units were distributed to 25 Costco stores in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee starting Nov. 22, Handsome Brook Farms said in a statement.

The Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs are packaged in plastic egg cartons and labeled with the Kirkland Signature logo on the top.

All the cartons have a UPC 9661910680—however, the recall only applies to units with the Julian code 327 and a "use by" date of Jan. 5, 2025. These can be found printed on the side of the plastic egg cartons.

“No other products are impacted by this recall,” Handsome Brook Farms said.

“The recall was initiated after the company determined that eggs not intended for retail distribution were instead packaged and distributed in retail packaging.”

The company said it was implementing additional supply chain controls and retraining personnel to prevent recurrence.

Handsome Brook Farms markets itself as a “pioneer in organic pasture raised eggs.” According to its website, the company works with various small farmers that keep hens at 400 per acre on rotated pastures. This increases the hens’ lifespan and egg production, while the hens “have lower mortality rates than comparable conventional hens.”

Handsome Brook Farms said that as of Nov. 27, no illnesses have been reported.

Impacted consumers should stop consuming the eggs and return the units to their local Costco store for a full refund—or, alternatively, dispose of the eggs.

The company asked those with additional questions to contact Handsome Brook Farms via phone at 646-733-4532, ext. 1, during business hours, or by email: [email protected].

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), salmonella bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Healthy persons infected with salmonella usually experience fever, watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, and in some cases also nausea, vomiting, and headaches. In rare circumstances, infection with salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections, meningitis, and bone and joint infection.

The bacteria are one of the leading causes of foodborne illness, the CDC said, infecting an estimated 1.35 million people in the United States every year.