FDA raises Costco egg recall alert to higher level over salmonella concerns

Dec. 24 (UPI) -- The Food and Drug Administration has raised its alert over a recent recall of Costco eggs to a high level because of the potential for severe illness or death due to salmonella poisoning, the agency said. The warning largely impacts southern states.

The product in question, packages of organic, 24-count, pasture-raised eggs, were sold under Costco's Kirkland Signature brand and recalled by Handsome Brook Farms in New York, according to the agency.

The eggs were old starting Nov. 22 and have the UPC code 9661910680. The packages bear the Kirkland brand name at the top and have a "use by" date of Jan. 5, 2025.

As of Monday, there have been no reported cases of salmonella poisoning related to the recall, the New York Post reported.

Costco announced at the end of November it was recalling about 260,000 eggs due to the risk of potential salmonella contamination.

On Friday, the FDA reclassified its recall to a Class I to denote a "reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."

The egg products were distributed to 25 Costco stores in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

FDA officials advised consumers with the implicated eggs to return them to Costco for a full refund.