• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, August 20, 2010

The largest egg recall in history is creating more pressure on Congress to pass new legislation to give the Food & Drug Administration more authority.

According to The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), as of yesterday, eggs contaminated with Salmonella had caused 273 confirmed cases of illness in California and Minnesota, and that number is expected to rise, as 10 states are currently investigating outbreak clusters.

About 380 million eggs from a family-owned producer (Wright County Egg) based in Iowa have been voluntarily recalled.  Nearly 2,000 illnesses linked to a specific strain of salmonella occurred between May and July, according to the Des Moines Register.

The recalled eggs are packaged under the brand names Albertsons, Dutch Farms, Farm Fresh, James Farms, Kemps, Glenview, Lucerne, Lund, Mountain Dairy, Ralphs, Boomsma, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Shoreland and Pacific Coast. 

Legislation already passed in the House but awaiting action in the Senate (S.510) would increase the FDA's oversight of producers/processors and give the agency the authority to issue mandatory recalls of tainted products.  Recalls are currently voluntary.

CSPI and other consumer protection groups, along with a number of federal legislators, have urged rapid passage of the legislation.