This means ‘there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.’
The eggs were sold between February 29 and May 17 in California, Washington, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, Arizona, Nebraska, Kentucky and New Mexico. Illnesses were reported in all states except Illinois and Indiana.
But officials fear that some of the affected cartons could still be lurking in refrigerators, putting others at risk.
There have been no reported deaths, but 21 people were hospitalized from salmonella, a deadly bacteria that strikes 1.3million Americans and kills 420 a year.
A total of 29 branded egg packages were included in the recall, including brands like Raleys, Simple Truth and Sun Harvest. Scroll down to see the full list.
The packages have a Julian Date — time stamp indicating when they were packaged — between 32 and 126. The Julian Date can be found on the short side of the carton.
Salmonella is killed by cooking eggs because the bacteria cannot survive temperatures above 140F (60C).
But officials warn that cooking eggs sunnyside up is risky, saying this may lead to the top of the egg not being hot enough to kill the bacteria.
An investigation linked the outbreak to the eggs after 27 out of 30 patients interviewed reported consuming them before falling ill.
An inspection at the company’s egg processing facility also detected salmonella at the factory — which was linked back to the outbreak.