Amid Egg Recall, FDA Chief Calls for More Authority

(Aug. 23) -- The nation's top food safety official says her agency needs more authority to protect the public. In the meantime, she's advising consumers to think twice before ordering those eggs over easy or poached.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg urged consumers today to avoid "runny egg yolks for mopping up with toast" until the agency finds the source of contamination in the largest egg recall in recent history.

Hamburg said consumers can stay safe during the recall by keeping eggs refrigerated, cooking them thoroughly and washing their hands before and after handling the product.

Hamburg offered the safety tips as she called for greater FDA authority today, after two Iowa farms recalled half a billion eggs that have been linked to 1,300 cases of salmonella poisoning since May, a number that is expected to rise.

"We need greater abilities to trace back products to their source," Hamburg told NBC's "Today" show this morning. "We need better abilities and authorities to put in place these preventive controls and hold companies accountable."

One year after a peanut butter recall prompted calls for increased regulation, the FDA still has limited authority. Only the egg industry can announce a recall, for example. And while the FDA is responsible for inspecting shell eggs, the Agriculture Department enforces standards for other egg products, according to a report in The Associated Press.

Finding the source of contamination could take months, thanks to the egg industry's complex system of suppliers, Hamburg said today. Both of the farms that issued the recall, for example, have multiple suppliers, some of which they share.

"We have a very complicated network of food distribution in this country," Hamburg told CNN's "American Morning" today. "You start with a couple of farms in Iowa and you can get nationwide exposure."

On Aug. 13, Wright County Egg recalled 380 million eggs, and a week later Hillandale Farms recalled 170 million. The owner of Wright County Egg, Jack DeCoster, also owns a supplier for the two farms. According to AP, his farms have a record of environmental and animal cruelty violations, as well as a history of employment discrimination complaints.

In 2002, DeCoster Farms settled a $1.5 million lawsuit with a group of Mexican women working at the company who claimed they were subjected to sexual harassment, abuse and rape on the job, AP reported.

Hamburg said it's now apparent that the two farms were not operating responsibly. "There's no question these farms involved in the recall were not operating with the standards of practice we consider responsible," the FDA chief told CNN this weekend.

Hinda Mitchell, a spokesperson for DeCoster Farms, said the company was cooperating fully with the FDA. "We have not received any official written reports from FDA to date," Mitchell told The Des Moines Register. "Any concerns raised verbally during their on-farm visit were immediately addressed or are in the process of being addressed."

In a statement, Hillandale Farms said it was "devastated that our eggs have been implicated in making people sick," according to a CNN report.

Salmonella poisoning can be fatal in some instances, especially for the very young or old and those with already weakened immune systems. But the most common symptoms are fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

Consumers who want to know if their eggs are included in the recall should check the plant number and the date stamped on the egg carton. A full list of the brands and egg batches recalled so far is posted online at the Egg Safety Center, a site run by producers in the industry.