Inside the Black Sheep EGG RECALL: Why Salmonella keeps slipping into our food supply

Friday, October 10, 2025 by Olivia Cook

Check your refrigerator for Black Sheep Egg Company Free-Range Large Grade A Brown Eggs with “Best by” dates between Aug. 22 and Oct. 31. The FDA confirms these eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella and should be thrown away or returned immediately.
Recent recalls have included “cage-free” and “organic” eggs. These labels describe how hens are raised, not how clean the eggs are. They do not guarantee freedom from harmful bacteria like salmonella.
Salmonella can live inside seemingly perfect eggs before the shell even forms – you can’t see, smell or taste the threat. The CDC estimates it causes more than 1.3 million illnesses in the U.S. each year.
The strongest defense starts at home. Cook eggs until yolks are firm, avoid foods with raw eggs (like cookie dough or homemade mayo) and refrigerate at 40 degrees F or below. Never wash eggs before storing; water can push bacteria through the shell.
Symptoms such as diarrhea, fever and cramps typically begin 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food. Seek medical care if illness lasts longer than three days, includes a fever over 102 degrees Fahrenheit or shows signs of dehydration – especially in children, older adults or those with weakened immune systems.

You open your refrigerator, reach for the familiar carton of eggs and don’t think twice. They’re a breakfast staple, a baking essential, a symbol of simple nourishment. Maybe you even paid extra for words like “cage-free” or “organic”– believing those labels meant cleaner, safer, better. But that quiet confidence has been shaken once again.

In early October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of Black Sheep Egg Company’s Free Range Large Grade A Brown Eggs after inspectors found Salmonella inside the Arkansas processing plant – 40 environmental samples were positive, including seven different strains. The agency urged consumers to throw out or return affected 12- and 18-count cartons with “Best by dates between Aug. 22 and Oct. 31 (UPC 860010568507 and 860010568538).

Just a few months earlier, August Egg Company pulled nearly 20 million “cage-free” and “organic” eggs – sold under trusted supermarket brands like Marketside, O Organics and Simple Truth – after at least 134 people in 10 states fell ill. Then, in August 2025, Country Eggs LLC recalled its “cage-free” Sunshine Yolks following another salmonella outbreak that sickened 100 people across 14 states.

Food safety experts say this wave of recalls is no coincidence. “We’re seeing systemic vulnerabilities,” notes the FDA. In other words, salmonella isn’t a headline – it’s a habit people haven’t fully broken.

The invisible threat inside the shell

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonella enterica is a bacterium that lives in poultry intestines and can contaminate eggs in two ways:

On the shell: As an egg is laid, it can pick up bacteria from the hen’s droppings.
Inside the egg: If the hen’s reproductive tract is infected, bacteria enter before the shell forms.

That means even spotless, uncracked eggs can harbor invisible germs. The CDC estimates salmonella causes 1.3 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the U.S. each year. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) says one in 10 people gets sick from contaminated food annually – roughly 600 million cases. Most infections cause diarrhea, cramps and fever lasting a few days, but for children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system, the consequences can be life-threatening.

Most healthy adults recover within a week, but call a doctor if you or someone at home experiences:

Diarrhea lasting more than three days
Bloody stool or persistent vomiting
A fever higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit
Signs of dehydration, including dizziness, dark urine and very little urination

Early treatment can prevent serious complications.

Why labels don’t equal immunity

“Cage-free,” “Free Range,” “Organic,” “Pasture-Raised” – these words promise ethical farming and happier hens – but they don’t promise “bacteria-free” breakfasts.

Cage-free, free range or pasture-raised means hens are not confined to tiny cages though they often live in crowded barns.
Organic refers to feed grown without synthetic pesticides and no routine antibiotics.

A 2023 study in the journal Foods found salmonella contamination in 1.1 percent of cage-free eggs but none in conventional (caged) eggs. Researchers suspect that greater exposure to dust, litter and outdoor areas increases the odds of contamination.

So why do salmonella outbreaks and egg recalls keep happening? According to Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch, eggs travel a long road: from farm to truck to warehouse to your grocery cart. Every hand-off offers an opening for heat, humidity and hygiene lapses. The FDA’s 2009 Egg Safety Rule requires large producers to refrigerate and test for salmonella, but smaller or outdoor farms follow only guidance – not mandates.

Meanwhile, bacteria keep evolving. The International Journal of Infectious Diseases Regions 2024 review warns that Salmonella enterica strains increasingly resist key antibiotics, like fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins. Infections that were once easily treatable now demand stronger drugs or longer recovery times. Prevention of salmonellosis, therefore, is not optional – it is essential.

The Foods paper notes that global egg production skyrocketed from 14 million tons in 1961 to more than 1.6 billion tons in 2021. Americans now eat about 288 eggs per person per year – almost one a day.

Even with a low contamination rate (0.005 percent in U.S. industrial systems), that is still thousands of tainted eggs potentially reaching consumers annually. Multiply that by global consumption and the math becomes more sobering than a runny yolk.

Here’s the good news: While industry oversight and recalls are vital, your kitchen habits matter most. A cross-country survey cited in Foods revealed that 40 percent of consumers admitted eating raw or undercooked eggs and a quarter washed their eggs before storage – both risky moves. Home kitchens, not restaurants, account for roughly 40 percent of salmonella outbreaks in Europe, a pattern echoed in the United States.

Buy smart. Skip cracked or dirty cartons, choose refrigerated eggs.
Store cold. Keep eggs in their carton on an interior fridge shelf at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
Don’t wash. Factory-washed eggs have a natural protective coating – rinsing can remove it and push bacteria inside.
Cook eggs thoroughly. Yolks and whites should be firm; casseroles and scrambles should reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Separate surfaces. Treat raw eggs like raw chicken – clean utensils and counters afterward.
Avoid raw batter and sauces. Caesar salad dressing, hollandaise, tiramisu and cookie dough made with raw eggs are classic culprits.

So tomorrow morning, when you reach for that egg carton, pause for a second. Check the dates. Wipe your counter clean. Cook the eggs until the whites are opaque and the yolks are firm. These are small acts of care – the kind that keep families healthy and transform recall fatigue into quiet confidence.

Learn how to cook your eggs to avoid getting salmonella by watching this video.

This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com.