FDA recalls (not to be confused with USDA)

Wanna see if those "factory fresh" eggs or bottle of pills in the medicine cabinet were recently recalled?*  

I'm always curious why friends have ended up in the hospital with "the flu" and released 24 hours later.  When we matched the Colorado recalls with the time of the symptoms, it was a no brainier...food poisoning.

FDA launches consumer-friendly Web search for consumers during recalls

Excerpt from the FDA Warning Letter:

WARNING LETTER

Ref. KAN 2011-01

Mr. Austin J. Decoster, Owner

Quality Egg LLC

2674 Highway 69

Galt, IA 50101

Dear Mr. Decoster:

The outside access doors to the manure pits had been pushed out by the weight of manure, leaving open access to wildlife and other animals at the following locations: Layer 1, House 1 and Layer 3, Houses 2, 17, 18

Dark liquid which appeared to be manure was observed seeping through the concrete foundation to the outside of the laying houses at Layer 1, Houses 1 through 5, 8, 11, 12, and 14; and Layer 3, Houses 1,8, 13, 17. Standing water approximately 3 inches deep was observed in the southeast comer of the manure pit located inside Layer 1, House 13.

Uncaged chickens were observed in the egg laying operation in contact with the egg laying birds at Layer 3, Houses 9 and 16. The uncaged birds were using the manure to access the egg laying areas.

► The entrance door to Layer 3, House 11 was blocked with excessive amounts of manure in the manure pits.

► There were between 2 to 5 live mice observed inside the following egg laying houses: Layer 1, Houses 1,5, and 10; Layer 2, House 11; Layer 3, Houses 2, 5, 7, 9,11, and 14; and Layer 4, House 3.
► Live and dead flies too numerous to count were observed inside the following egg laying houses: Layer 1, Houses 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12; Layer 2, Houses 7 and 11; Layer 3, Houses 3, 4,5,6, 7, 8, 15, 16, 17, and 18. The flies were observed on and around egg belts, feed, shell eggs and walkways in different sections of each egg laying house. In addition, live and dead maggots too numerous to count were observed on the manure pit floor at Layer 2, House 7.

*Careful, the website is addicting.