Before a US farm voluntarily recalled 207 million eggs, government inspectors found rodents scurrying in manure pits, equipment that was coated with grime and food debris, and outside a swarm of "large flying insects too numerous to count."
Unsanitary conditions were found during multiple inspections of a Rose Acre Farms facility in Hyde County, North Carolina, that allowed for the "proliferation and spread of filth and pathogens throughout the facility that could cause the contamination of egg processing equipment and eggs," according to a report from the Food and Drug Administration detailing inspections.
A review of the farm's pest control records flagged an ongoing rodent infestation, with rodents, dead carcasses and baby mice observed, along with workers who weren't following proper sanitary practices.
The farm voluntarily recalled the eggs earlier last week after more than 20 consumers became ill from a suspected salmonella poisoning. The recall is the largest of eggs in the US since 2010, when more than 550 million were recalled from two Iowa farms, according to the website Food Safety News.
The FDA's inspection report "is based on raw observations and in some cases lack proper context," Gene Grabowski, an outside spokesman for Rose Acre Farms, said in an email. The company is preparing a formal response to the report and "until then, we would urge everyone to wait until all the facts are presented before rushing to judgment."
