Brown, cage-free eggs from Country Eggs, LLC (Lucerne Valley, California) have been linked to 95 confirmed cases of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses in 14 states, according to information released today (August 28, 2025) by the CDC.
Eighteen people have been hospitalized.
Outbreak cases have been reported in Arizona (1), California (73), Florida (1), Georgia (1), Hawaii (1), Iowa (1), Minnesota (4), North Carolina (2), Nebraska (1), Nevada (3), New York (2), Pennsylvania (1), and Washington (3).
Patient interviews conducted by the CDC and its local partners identified eggs and egg-containing dishes as the most likely source of the illnesses. Traceback investigations conducted by the FDA identified Country Eggs, LLC as a common supplier of the eggs.
On August 27, 2025, Country Eggs, LLC announced a recall of LARGE BROWN CAGE FREE SUNSHINE YOLKS sold under the following brand names and package formats
Nagatoshi:- Sell by dates 7/1/25 through 9/16/25; No. CA 7695
Misuho:- Sell by dates 7/1/25 through 9/16/25; No. CA 7695
Nijiya Markets:- Sell by dates 7/1/25 through 9/16/25; No. CA 7695
Country Eggs LARGE BROWN SUNSHINE YOLKS:– Packed 1/15 DZ Bulk for Foodservice; Sell by 7/1/25 – 9/16/25
The recalled eggs were distributed in California and Nevada to grocery stores and foodservice distributors.
Investigation timeline
The first outbreak case was reported in January 2025. By mid-April, more than 30 outbreak cases had been identified.
The FDA initiated a traceback investigation on April 23, 2025, but was unable to trace a likely source of the outbreak and ended the investigation.
Between mid-June and mid-July, the CDC received reports of spike in the occurrence of illnesses caused by the same outbreak strain. The reports included reports of illnesses experienced by customers of four restaurants.
With this new information, the FDA reopened its traceback investigation and determined that Country Eggs was a common supplier of the eggs consumed by outbreak victims.
Country Eggs inspection history
Country Eggs, LLC has been inspected only once by the FDA, according to information posted on the FDA Inspection Data Dashboard.
This inspection took place in November 2016 and the company’s operation was graded as “Voluntary Action Indicated.”
The inspector found two significant items that required correction:
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising the public not to feed certain lots of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products raw food to their pets after a four-year-old child became ill with E. coli O157:H7.
The contamination came to light after food-safety attorney, William Marler, initiated third-party testing of an previously unopened package of BioLogics All-Natural and Grain Free, Beef Recipe for Dogs found E. coli O157:H7 in the raw, frozen product. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) confirmed that the strain found in the pet food was a match for the strain recovered from the child.
In addition to the E. coli O157:H7-positive sample, the third-party lab recovered Salmonella Infantis and Salmonella Hadar from previously sealed packages of Darwin’s chicken dog food and duck dog food, respectively.
The FDA recommended that Arrow Reliance, Inc. (the manufacturer of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products) recall the product lots that tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella; however, the company has not recalled the affected products.
The products in question were manufactured in May or June 2024, were sold frozen, have no expiration date on the label, and could still be in consumers’ freezers. The FDA urges consumers who purchase Darwin’s products to check their freezers for the following three items:
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, BioLogics All-Natural and Grain Free, Beef Recipe for Dogs:- Lot 10662, MFG Date of May 30, 2024
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, BioLogics All-Natural and Grain Free, Chicken Recipe for Dogs:- Lot 10683, MFG date of June 05, 2024
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, Natural Selections Duck Recipe for Dogs:- Lot 10638, MFG date of May 22, 2024
The affected lots of pet food were sold in frozen 2-pound white and clear plastic packages with four separate units. The beef and chicken BioLogics dog food have orange labeling, and the duck Natural Selections dog food has blue labeling. If you have any of these products, please throw them away in a secure container. DO NOT FEED THEM TO YOUR PETS.
Anatomy of an illness investigation
In August 2024, a four-year-old boy living in Utah became ill and was diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7.
The child was hospitalized, and developed a severe case of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), requiring dialysis. He spent a total of six weeks in hospital and is at risk of permanent injury to his kidneys.
As a matter of routine, the strain of E. coli O157:H7 that was recovered from the boy was genetically typed using WGS and, in September 2024, the genetic profile was uploaded to the CDC’s National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database.
Investigations carried out by the health authorities in Utah were unable to find any other related cases or to determine a possible source for the infection. It appeared to be an isolated incident.
In October 2024, the family contacted food-safety attorney, William Marler.
According to information provided to eFoodAlert by Marler, initial reviews of the files did not reveal any clues about the source of the infection. However, when Marler reviewed the files once more, he noted that the family had a dog, and asked about the dog’s health and diet. He learned that the dog exclusively ate Darwin’s pet food, and had begun vomiting one day before the child fell ill. The dog subsequently died in a car accident, so could not be tested, but the family had not discarded the remaining frozen, raw dog food.
Marler arranged for an accredited third-party laboratory to test the sealed packages of food that were still in the family’s freezer. On June 19, 2025, the lab reported that they had found E. coli O157:H7 in a sample of the Darwin’s beef dog food and that the strain was a perfect match to the strain recovered from the Utah boy.
Marler notified the FDA, the Utah health department, the Washington Department of Agriculture (Darwin’s manufacturer is located in Tukwila, WA) and Arrow Reliance, Inc. (the manufacturer) of the lab’s findings.
The FDA sent an investigator to Utah to interview the family, and also tried to locate additional samples of the affected products for testing. Unfortunately, by the time the FDA became involved, there were no retail samples available for testing, nor did the company have any samples from the specified production lots available to test.
And, as has occurred of several prior occasions, Arrow Reliance has not complied with the FDA’s request for a voluntary recall.
What consumers need to know
If you have any of the lots of Darwin’s BioLogics or Natural Selections pet food products listed above, stop feeding the product to your pets and throw it away in a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot access it. Do not donate the food.
The product lot codes are printed on the front of the lower left unit of the package of food. If you no longer have the package or can’t read the lot code, throw the food away.
Consumers who have had the products listed above in their homes should clean and disinfect all pet supplies, including all storage containers, bowls, utensils, food prep surfaces, pet bedding, toys, floors, and any other surfaces that the food or pet may have had contact with, including your refrigerator or freezer. Clean up the pet’s feces in yards, parks, or other places where people or other animals may become exposed. Consumers should thoroughly wash their hands after handling the product or cleaning up potentially contaminated items and surfaces.
Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and your pet
Dogs and cats can become infected with STEC, although the symptoms are generally milder than symptoms in people. Dogs and cats infected with STEC can develop watery diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, urinary tract infections, and vomiting. Symptoms may be more severe in pets with weakened immune systems. The infection is rarely lethal in pets, but deaths have been reported in infected dogs. If your pet has symptoms of a STEC infection, consult a veterinarian promptly.
Pets do not need to display symptoms to be able to pass STEC on to their human companions. Whether or not a pet is symptomatic, once STEC gets established in the pet’s gastrointestinal tract, the animal can shed the bacteria when having bowel movements, contaminating their environment.
Pets do not always display symptoms when infected with Salmonella, but signs can include vomiting, diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, loss of appetite and/or decreased activity level. If your pet has these symptoms, consult a veterinarian promptly. You should also be aware that infected pets can shed the bacteria in their feces without showing signs of being sick.
How to report a pet illness?
People who think their pets have become ill after consuming contaminated pet food should first contact their veterinarians.
“A complete and compelling account of the hidden and not-so-hidden ways the food we give our beloved pets can be contaminated.” – JoNel Aleccia, Health Reporter, Food & Nutrition, The Associated Press.
“An invaluable resource for busy pet owners” – Food Safety News
An outbreak of Salmonella infections in Canada has increased to encompass 87 confirmed cases in four provinces according to an update report from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) released on July 19, 2025.
Outbreak-related illnesses have been reported in Alberta (68), British Columbia (1), Manitoba (1), and Ontario (17). Nine people have been hospitalized. The British Columbia case is related to travel to Alberta.
Victims range in age from one to over 100 years.
Many people who became sick reported eating salami in prepared sandwiches or purchased from deli counters where the recalled products were served.
Marini Foods Limited, the producer of the implicated meats, has expanded its initial recall to include 13 different brands of salami and cacciatore products. The recalled items were distributed to grocery stores, specialty markets, restaurants and cafés, delis, and butcher shops in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
The recalled brands include:
Bona
Cosmo’s Smoked Meats
Imperial Meats
Longos
Luc’s European Meats Cheese & Eats
Marini Salumi
Naturissimo
P&E Foods
Rea
Speziale Fine Foods
Superior Meats
T.J. Meats
Vince’s Cured Meats Corp.
Please follow the live link for a detailed list of affected products and lot codes.
What consumers, retailers, and distributors need to know (per PHAC)
Check to see if you have the recalled products in your home or establishment by looking for the specific product name and size, UPC and codes in the recall alerts.
Do not consume, serve, use, sell or distribute recalled products or any product made with them.
Throw out or return recalled products to the location where they were purchased. Consumers or establishments who are unsure if they have purchased the recalled products are advised to contact their retailer or supplier where the products were purchased.
Consumers who have purchased a prepared sandwich or meal and are unsure if it contains recalled products are advised to contact the retailer where the item was purchased.
Do not cook food for other people if you’ve been diagnosed with a Salmonella infection or any other gastrointestinal illness.
Contact your health care provider if you think you’re experiencing symptoms of Salmonella.
Most people who become ill from a Salmonella infection will recover fully after a few days without treatment, but it can also cause severe illness and hospitalization.
The Salmonella strain associated with this outbreak investigation is multi drug-resistant, which means it’s resistant to certain antibiotics (streptomycin, kanamycin, ampicillin, and sulfisoxazole). Other antibiotics are available to treat illnesses associated with this outbreak strain, if antibiotic treatment is considered necessary.
“Reads like a true crime novel” – Food Safety News
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