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DeLauro Pushes for Additional Information from FDA on Egg Recall

May 21, 2018

WASHINGTON, DC (May 21, 2018) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today wrote a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., asking for additional information regarding the ongoing investigation of a Salmonella outbreak related to shelled eggs. That outbreak is currently responsible for 35 infections—including 11 hospitalizations—across 9 states.

"I continue to be concerned with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) investigation and response to the Salmonella Braenderup outbreak related to shell eggs produced by Rose Acre Farms," wrote DeLauro. "In my previous April 19 letter, I requested additional information about this investigation after FDA inspection reports revealed that the Agency was aware of serious food safety violations at Rose Acre Farms' Hyde County facility weeks before a recall was initiated. Despite the scale of this outbreak, there are still many unanswered questions related to the recall and the investigation."

DeLauro is seeking responses to the following questions:

  1. What is the current situation regarding egg production at Rose Acre Farms' Hyde County facility? If the facility is not presently producing eggs for the table market, what is the Agency's timeline for the facility to return to production?
  2. Did the facility ever suspend operations? If so, what were the beginning and ending dates of the suspension, and what role did FDA play in this decision?
  3. What actions has FDA taken to resolve the unsanitary conditions at the Hyde County facility that led to the current outbreak? What assurances does the Agency have that the facility will not succumb to the same numerous violations that have been documented in previous inspection reports?
  4. Has FDA inspected any other facilities, across the nation, owned or operated by Rose Acre Farms? If so, what are the dates of those inspections, and will the Agency commit to sharing those inspection reports?

A copy of the full letter can be found here.

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