Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors who descended on Iowa egg farms in the wake of the egg recall say none of the farms were in compliance with their existing plans to prevent Salmonella enteritidis.
In a conference call with reporters, the FDA reported finding piles of manure, rodents, flies and uncaged chickens roaming the grounds. The inspections took place at farms owned by Wright County Egg, Quality Egg and Hillandale Farms.
The inspections were conducted in the wake of a recall of over a half-billion eggs due to Salmonella contamination. The recall occurred within weeks of new federal rules designed to enhance egg production safety.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1,400 consumers were sickened from eating the contaminated eggs, with the outbreak stretching back to at least mid-May.
The FDA last week revealed the initial inspection of the farms found Salmonella in chicken manure and in chicken feed. In Monday's session with reporters, FDA officials also reported they found Salmonella in water samples. The water, they said, was used to wash eggs.
Piles of manure
At some of the operations run by Wright County Egg, the inspectors said they discovered piles of manure reaching eight feet in height. There was so much manure on the ground, they said, that in some buildings the doors would not close, providing easier access for rodents and other animals.
"While it is really helpful that FDA is disclosing the results of their recent inspections of two facilities linked to a major illness outbreak from contaminated eggs, FDA's findings are truly stomach churning," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, Food Safety Director at Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSOI). "FDA found rodents and wild birds in the facilities, and five of the Wright County Egg facilities had giant manure piles inside their buildings. These violations are reminiscent of similar findings in another major outbreak linked to peanut butter."
DeWaal says it is equally troubling that the inspections occurred the month following the date that the new egg-safety regulation went into effect.
"Both companies involved had been on notice that they needed to meet requirements of the new egg-safety rule for over a year," she said. "Instead of finding companies that were ready to meet those requirements, FDA's inspections document companies with long-standing violations and apparently little intention to comply."
Unconcerned about inspections?
DeWaal says the state of conditions at the egg farms suggests the owners knew that FDA inspections are so rare, even following the adoption of a new safety regulation, that there was no urgency to fix their buildings and their operations to assure compliance with FDA statutes and regulations.
Hillandale Farms issued a statement Monday saying it is committed to addressing all issues raised by the FDA and plans to be "in full compliance as soon as possible." Wright County Egg said most of the issues tagged by FDA inspectors have been addressed or will be soon.
"We anticipate the expeditious completion of nearly all remaining items by mid-September," the company said in a statement.
