Egg Salmonella Threat Documented at Plant by Humane Society
An egg Salmonella threat has been documented in an expose' on abuse and conditions inside a factory farm owned by a leading egg producer, the Humane Society of the United States said in a press release.
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Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the organization, called on the egg industry to embrace cage-free housing systems. Taking proper care of laying hens is an important way to safeguard our food supply. His comments stem from an undercover video project that captured animal abuses and filth in a caged hen facility. The documentary comes on the heels of a major Salmonella egg outbreak and recall involving two Iowa egg producers that were later found to be in violation of food safety rules.
Hillandale Farms of Iowa and Wright County Egg, also of Iowa, recalled 550 million eggs after investigators associated a major Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak with shell eggs from the two companies. Around the country more than 1,800 people were sickened in the outbreak, prompting more than one Salmonella egg lawsuit. Law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is continuing to accept additional cases from individuals affected by the outbreak and free consultations are available at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page.
According to the Humane Society press release, a Humane Society investigator worked inside a factory egg farm in Texas recently for 28 days and documented multiple abuses and food safety threats, including:
- Birds trapped in cage wires, unable to reach food or water. Cage wires can trap hens' wings, necks, legs and feet, causing other birds to trample the weakened animals, usually resulting in a slow, painful death.
- Abandoned hens. Live birds were roaming outside their cages, some falling into manure pits.
- Injuries. Birds had bloody feet and broken legs from cage wires.
- Overcrowding injuries. multiple birds crammed into one cage, giving each hen only 67 square inches of cage space—less than a sheet of paper on which to live for more than a year.
- Eggs covered in blood and feces.
Every one of the last ten published studies comparing cage to cage-free systems found higher Salmonella rates in cage systems, including a 2010 study that found 20 times greater odds of Salmonella infection in caged flocks, the Humane Society said. Click here to see the Humane Society video.
