Hard-Boiled Eggs from a company in Georgia has prompted a nationwide food poisoning outbreak in the United States. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has urged that all pregnant women/individuals over the age of 65 should avoid eating any hard-boiled eggs purchased in the last month. The CDC noted that this product is most typically used with Egg Salad and has been reported in several states across America.
The likely source for this outbreak comes from Almark Foods, who sell this product in bulk to grocery retailers in the United States. These eggs were packaged in plastic containers, an illegal method to ship this form of food across the country. This resulted in overheating of the hard-boiled eggs, which allowed for bacteria to grow inside the plastic containers. The potential for cross-contamination of these various bacteria has urged the CDC to suggest that food retails sanitize all areas where these hard-boiled eggs were stocked and sold.
It should be noted that these hard-boiled eggs were affected only with the bulk sales for Almark Foods. The contamination doesn’t apply to the hard-boiled eggs sold directly to consumers in small quantities or the restaurant-based products shipped out. This is because they’re shipped in cardboard containers, allowing for them to remain cold until usage. Unfortunately, the resulting food poisoning is putting numerous individuals’ lives at risk. Listeria is the result of eating these hard-boiled eggs, with symptoms being confusion and convulsions. Previous instances of Listeria have seen people choking on their tongues or losing balance in unsafe areas. It’s recommended that individuals with Listeria be watched 24/7 by nurses in an E.R. Room.
The Associated Risks
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention noted in their announcement that women who are pregnant are 10x more likely to contract Listeria. Individuals with Dialysis are 50x more likely to acquire Listeria, with infections possibly killing these unsuspecting patients. However, when it applies to the elderly at 65+ years of age, they are 4x more likely to contract Listeria.
Reporters from across the nation have been contacting Almark Foods from Gainesville, Georgie. Every time somebody from the company could be reached, they would answer that Almark didn’t have any comments on this matter. However, it’s known that one of their four manufacturing facilities has been contaminated. Going forward, the FDA will now complete a full-scale investigation into Almark Foods’ operational activity. This investigation will be completed in correlation with the CDC. Punishments will ensue for this significant outbreak.