The Food and Drug Administration elevated its recent recall of more than 10,000 cartons of eggs sold at Costco to the highest alert level due to fears that salmonella contamination will “cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
In late November, Costco announced that it was recalling nearly 260,000 eggs sold under the Kirkland Signature brand in 25 stores nationwide due to potential salmonella contamination.
The organic pasture-raised eggs were sourced from Handsome Brook Farms in New York State and then distributed to Costco stores throughout the South, including Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The affected eggs were sold at the 25 Costco stores beginning on Nov. 22. They have a use-by date of Jan. 5, 2025.
The recall applies to Kirkland Signature Organic Pasture Raised 24-Count Eggs packaged in plastic cartons with the UPC 9661910680 and Julian code 327.
Anyone who bought the eggs are strongly advised to throw them away and contact their local Costco for a refund.
The most mild cases of salmonella can cause uncomfortable symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
The FDA over the weekend ruled on the designation of the recall as “class 1” — the highest alert level possible.
Severe cases of salmonella poisoning could affect vital organs including the brain, heart and spinal cord.
As of Monday, there have been no reported cases of salmonella poisoning related to the recall of the eggs.
The Post has sought comment from Costco.
The recall of eggs from Costco is the latest high-profile potential lapse in food safety that has generated headlines.
Frito-Lay, the PepsiCo subsidiary which makes potato chips, announced last week that it was voluntarily recalling 13-ounce bags of its Lay’s Classic Potato Chips due to fears they may “contain undeclared milk” that can pose a “risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction” to consumers.
McDonald’s earlier this year paused the sale of its popular Quarter Pounder hamburgers in thousands of its restaurants in the Western US after an E. coli outbreak linked to onions that were used to make the sandwich was blamed for the death of one person. Scores of others across 14 states fell ill.