Some OvaEasy egg products may be unfit for human consumption

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a public health alert because Nutriom LLC declined to expand an earlier recall of processed egg products that may be unfit for human consumption. The Food Safety and Inspection Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the request for expansion of a Feb. 15 recall of 226,710 pounds of OvaEasy products was based on evidence collected during an ongoing investigation. Nutriom LLC in Lacey, Wash., refused to expand its earlier recall to include an additional 118,541 pounds of processed egg products due to possible Salmonella. As a consequence, FSIS said it intends to take appropriate action to remove the products from commerce. The request for expansion was based on evidence collected during an ongoing investigation conducted by FSIS. FSIS issued the original recall because Nutriom allegedly recorded false laboratory results. "The company allegedly produced negative laboratory results for Salmonella when the results were actually positive, or reported that sampling had occurred when, in fact, no microbial testing was performed," the FSIS said in a statement. "FSIS requested the company to include additional products, but it declined. Because the product was not produced in accordance with FSIS requirements, it is unfit for human consumption." The dried egg products were produced from May 2013 through January 2014, and are marked "INSPECTED EGG PRODUCTS PLANT 21493G" inside the USDA Mark of Inspection. These dried egg products were shipped nationwide and to U.S. military installations in the United States, and abroad. OvaEasy products were shipped to co-packers for incorporation into consumer-sized packages and packaged in consumer-sized packages.