The Biggest Egg Recalls In US History

Eggs are loved in the U.S. Data from Statista in 2024 shows that Americans consume over 280 eggs per person in the U.S., a number that's grown pretty significantly compared to the 250 per person eggs being eaten in 2000. Since we're eating more eggs than ever, the demand for them is up — and so are massive egg recalls. Foodborne bacteria and other contaminants affect eggs by the millions and puts America's huge population of egg-lovers at risk of getting sick. Most of the nation's largest egg recalls have occurred within the last 15 years.

Eggs commercially sold in the U.S. must meet quality and safety standards enforced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since 1995, the USDA's Federal Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), has been tasked with ensuring that all eggs sold to the public, whether processed domestically or imported from abroad, are safe to eat (the FDA monitors egg shell safety). If a manufacturer pulls a fast one on the feds, or the FSIS misses something during inspection, eggs that are unsuitable for consumption end up on the commercial market, triggering a recall.

Eggs have been behind some of the most recent large-scale recalls, and revealed cracks beneath the surface of agricultural manufacturing and inspection practices. Due to oversights in America's booming egg industry, many people have gotten sick simply for eating a food they enjoy. The following egg recalls were the country's biggest ever in history.

An egg recall of grand proportions threw a wrench in the holiday baking season in November 2024 when Handsome Brook Farms recalled 10,800 units of Kirkland Signature Organic Pasture-raised Eggs sold by Costco in 24-count containers. The eggs were recalled from 25 Costco locations in five Southern states due to a potential salmonella contamination. Handsome Brook Farms voluntarily issued the recall after realizing that eggs not intended for distribution were packaged and shipped to Costco.

The FDA classified this recall as Class I, the most dangerous recall level. Salmonellosis is the most common form of food poisoning in the U.S. and can be life-threatening to young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. No illnesses were reported in connection to the Handsome Brook Farms recall — a silver lining for the New York-based egg supplier. Food companies responsible for food poisoning outbreaks not only damage their consumer image, people who were sickened by the recalled products have been known to sue.

On the other hand, the staggering quantity of recalled eggs dealt Handsome Brook Farms a financial blow. On average a food recall can cost a business between $10 million and $30 million in direct costs, and has the capacity to damage future sales. When the recall was announced, Handsome Brook Farms noted that it would prioritize employee retraining to avoid mistakes like this in the future.

Midwestern egg manufacturer Milo's Poultry Farms LLC had a serious problem in September 2024, when its organic chicken and duck eggs were the cause of a big salmonella outbreak. Milo's Poultry Farms initiated the recall on September 6, after environmental samples the FDA procured from the company's facility tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis. Investigators used Whole Genome Sequencing analysis to match the salmonellae pathogens found at Milo's Poultry Farms to the bacterial serovar that had sickened dozens of people across multiple U.S. states.

The Milo's Poultry Farms recall removed the company's entire egg inventory from distribution. In addition to recalling all eggs sold under the Milo's Poultry Farms brand name, all Tony's Fresh Market eggs, Happy Quackers Farm duck eggs, and M&E branded eggs were pulled from supermarket shelves and food service establishments. After the recall was terminated in October 2024, nearly 100 people had fallen ill in 12 states. There were 34 reported hospitalizations and thankfully, zero deaths. Approximately 345,417 dozen eggs had been recalled from Milo's Poultry Farms — around 4 million eggs. The ordeal was not only one of 2024's biggest food recalls, it was among the largest egg recalls ever recorded.

A salmonella outbreak in 2018 that was traced back to Gravel Ridge Farms in Cullman, Alabama, resulted in one of the biggest egg recalls in the U.S. An FDA-led investigation of an active Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak that had sickened 45 individuals in 12 states, brought government health officials to Gravel Ridge Farms. An inspection of the egg farm turned up salmonella bacteria in two of Gravel Ridge Farms' egg laying houses. Inspectors also observed unsanitary egg storage practices on the premises and learned that the farm had no Salmonella Enteritidis prevention plan in place. Both offenses violated federal regulations.

Once the FDA notified Gravel Ridge Farms that the salmonella bacteria found in its egg laying houses matched the Salmonella Enteritidis serovar identified in the outbreak, the company initiated a voluntary recall. The recall affected all of Gravel Ridge Farms' large cage-free eggs — all 55,000 dozen of them. The eggs were distributed to multiple grocery stores chains and restaurants in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. 

The FDA ordered the farm to cease its egg production and destroy its existing product while a representative from Alabama's Department of Health watched. The recall was so devastating to Gravel Ridge Farms that the company admitted to the FDA that operations would probably never resume. Gravel Ridge Farms appears to be out of business.

When an outbreak of Salmonella Braenderup was making its way across 10 U.S. states in 2018, public health officials reached out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for answers. As is customary in foodborne illness investigations, traceback evidence was key in determining what, where, why, and how harmful bacterium was able to sicken a significant number of people. Investigators were able to narrow down the contamination source to shell eggs originating from Rose Acre Farms in Hyde County, North Carolina.

In April 2018, Rose Acre Farms voluntarily recalled 206,749,248 eggs due to salmonella contamination fears. In total, the outbreak brought on by Rose Acres Farms' salmonella-tinged eggs infected 45 people in 10 states. Over half of the individuals who got sick reported eating egg dishes at restaurants. The recalled eggs were also sold in grocery stores in nine states. Records of illnesses linked to this recall spanned from November 2017 to May 2018.

For decades, Salmonella Enteritidis has been the predominant salmonella serovar associated with egg recalls. The presence of Salmonella Braenderup in Rose Acre Farms eggs inspired further scientific research. Studies of hens who were orally administered with Salmonella Braenderup and then euthanized indicated that the highest concentration of bacteria existed in the hens' ileocecal tissue — aka the tissues that make up their gastrointestinal and bowel regions. Hens that carry salmonella bacterium within their digestive tracts have been known to transmit bacteria to the shell eggs they lay.

The name Handsome Brook Farms became well known during its November 2024 recall involving salmonella-contaminated organic eggs sold at Costco, but that wasn't its first brush with a huge product recall. Back in August 2017, a lesser-publicized recall saw Handsome Brook Farms recall 15,975 dozen Soy-Free Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs. The reason for the recall wasn't salmonella, it was mold.

The Class II recall impacted three lot codes of eggs distributed in Arizona, Illinois, Ohio, and Rhode Island. Despite the large quantity of compromised eggs, the recall was a quiet one. No press releases were issued and Handsome Brook Farms was able to avoid being put on blast by the media (that would come later). Recalls due to mold contamination is something more commonly linked to prepackaged products — like the Hostess recall involving mold-ridden Raspberry Zingers snack cakes.

Mold contamination may seem less nefarious than bacterial strains like salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, but it's a bacteria nonetheless. In certain conditions, mold can produce poisonous mycotoxins that can cause allergic reactions and respiratory issues in some consumers.

Nutriom LLC, the company behind egg products from OvaEasy, Bak-Klene, Panera, Vitovo, and Wise Company didn't take its 2014 recall lying down. The Lacey, Washington-based company, which specializes in dried egg products was under suspicion after the USDA alleged that it had falsified lab results related to salmonella testing of its products. Federal regulations require that pasteurized liquid eggs must undergo testing for salmonella bacteria prior to the dehydration process. The USDA had reason to believe that Nutriom either faked negative results or didn't test its egg products at all. The agency forced a recall in February and expanded it in March.

The products affected by the recall were plain whole eggs and egg washes. The amount of recalled product was 345,251 pounds — a whopping amount for a company that claimed there was no problem in the first place. As news of the recall trickled through media outlets, Nutriom insisted that the testing was performed in a lab approved by the FSIS and that the products were safe for consumption.

While the recall was underway, Nutriom also maintained that its organization presented FSIS officials with proof that its testing and production practices posed no threat to public health and still, the government rejected these claims. Abject denial was an atypical approach for a company facing one of the biggest egg recalls on U.S. record, but Nutriom did not concede. At the very least, no illnesses in conjunction to the recall were ever reported.

Companies that proffer liquid eggs rather than the shelled version are not exempt from big product recalls. Ballas Egg Production Corporation is one such establishment. Unlike many of its big-name shell egg-producing contemporaries, Ballas, a company doing business out of Zanesville, Ohio managed to recall 55,784 pounds of pasteurized liquid whole eggs and not disturb a single media outlet in the process.

Ballas was forced into the recall when its liquid eggs tested positive from salmonella. Like most salmonella-related recalls, it was classified as Class I — the most serious recalls designation. Class I recalls are reserved for recalled foods that could potentially kill consumers. Most recalls associated with salmonella meet the grounds for a Class I recall.

Ballas' salmonella-tainted liquid eggs hit the retail market as early as 2010 and were distributed in Ohio and South Carolina. The family-owned company has been commercially producing eggs since 1928, and keeps its operation close-knit. According to FDA records, Ballas opted to alert its buyers about the recall by telephone. Ballas prides itself on working with small businesses and the tactic clearly paid off — the company managed to have one the biggest egg recalls in the U.S. and hardly anyone knew about it.

Perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs are simple and delicious — as long as they're not playing secret host to Listeria Monocytogenes. Unfortunately for Micheal Foods, its eggs were doing exactly that in 2012, giving way to a massive product recall that February. Hard boiled eggs in brine were a signature item of Michael's. The Minnesota-headquartered company supplied these eggs to several other food companies including Gordon Food Service, one of the largest food supplies in the U.S.

After lab testing at Michael's production facility in Wakefield, Nebraska delivered a positive result for Listeria Monocytogenes, the company announced the recall. All of Michael's hard boiled eggs in brine are sold in 10-pound or 25-pound pails. None of its eggs are sold directly to consumers, but they were purchased by distributors in 34 states. The source of the listeria bacteria was believed to have originated in the facility's repair room where a repair project had taken place.

The investigation of how listeria entered Michael's facility and its subsequent remedy also brought on a recall expansion. On February 2, 2012, one day after the original announcement, Michael Foods called for additional lot dates to be included amongst the recalled eggs. Numerous grocery store chains and food brands recalled deli salads and ready-to-eat hard-cooked eggs in conjunction with Michael's tainted goods. The number of recalled eggs reached 1 million.

The writing was on the wall for Wright County and Hillandale Farms, two egg producers that contributed to the biggest U.S. egg recall of all time. In 2010, 550 million eggs were recalled due to contamination of Salmonella Enteritidis. Mega egg producer Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa recalled 380 million shell eggs in August 2010. The eggs were sold under multiple brand names and in various quantities. Soon after, fellow Iowa company Hillandale Farms recalled 170 million eggs, also citing a Salmonella Enteritidis contamination.

Both farms were owned by Austin "Jack" DeCoster, a veteran egg tycoon. The CDC zeroed in on DeCoster's operations in 2010 after 1,939 cases of salmonellosis were confirmed throughout the U.S. The CDC suspected the real number of cases was around 56,000. With a recall of this magnitude, the feds had ample reason to believe Wright County and Hillandale Farms knew its eggs were tainted with salmonella and shipped them anyway. The courts agreed. In 2015, DeCoster and his son were handed three-month jail sentences and ordered to pay $100,000 each for the role they played in the catastrophic salmonella outbreak.

Crystal Lake's big-time recall of pasteurized liquid whole eggs occurred in May 2005 – long before food recalls garnered the media attention they do today. Lack of headlines aside, Crystal Lake, a food manufacturer established in 1968, had to recall 53,016 pounds of liquid eggs from retail distribution due to fears of salmonella contamination. The FDA classified the recall as Class I, the most dangerous recall level for goods sold in the U.S.

Despite the monumental weight of the recalled liquid eggs, the lack of media reporting on the recall suggests that no one fell ill as a result of consuming Crystal Farms' egg products. The manufacturer may have surpassed this recall mostly unscathed, but future recalls had more in store. In 2018, the Crystal Farms brand was implicated in the recall led by Rose Acre Farms that saw 200 million eggs recalled for Salmonella Braenderup contamination.

In 1988, the FDA and USDA looked into a flurry of Salmonella Enteritidis cases involving Grade A shell eggs. Back then, egg recalls due to salmonella involved cracked or dirty eggs that picked up the bacteria from the outside environment, but investigators believed hens with salmonellosis were contaminating the eggs before laying them. That same year, the New York State Health Department was doing some investigating of its own. Its target was Austin "Jack" DeCoster, of DeCoster Farms.

Rather than rely on the feds to initiate a recall, New York launched a statewide ban of DeCoster eggs. Beginning in 1987, the eggs were linked to 500 illnesses and 11 deaths in two New York City hospitals. DeCoster eggs were also behind 15 known salmonellosis cases in two counties in 1988. The state health commissioner agreed to lift the ban once DeCoster agreed to vigorous testing of its products. The notion that eggs were being tainted with Salmonella Enteritidis inside the hen's ovaries was a novel one, and cases were spreading fast.

In the late 1980s, public warnings emphasized cooking eggs thoroughly to avoid getting sick. This unfortunately helped DeCoster shift the blame for domestic salmonella outbreaks off of his farms and onto improperly cooked eggs. Over the years, DeCoster became the most notorious figure in the U.S. egg industry — especially in 2010, when his egg empire caused the biggest U.S. egg recall of all time.