19 Million Eggs Just Got the FDA's Most Serious Recall Classification
An egg recall that started in July just got a lot more serious.
The FDA upgraded a recall of nearly 1.6 million cartons of eggs — roughly 19 million individual eggs — to a Class I classification on Wednesday, August 14. That's the highest risk level the FDA assigns, reserved for products where there's a "reasonable probability" that consuming them could cause "serious adverse health consequences or death."
The eggs were first recalled on July 22 by Midwest Poultry Services, an Indiana-based company, after routine environmental testing at two Texas farms turned up salmonella contamination. Since then the situation has gotten worse. The CDC has confirmed at least 98 people infected across 17 states, with 26 hospitalized. No deaths have been reported — but 73 of those cases are in Texas alone.
Which Eggs Are Affected
The recalled eggs are white shell eggs and brown cage-free eggs produced at two farms in Texas between June 6 and July 3, 2026. Look for sell-by or best-by dates between July 20 and August 17, 2026, and Julian dates between 157 and 184 printed on the carton.
The eggs were sold at Kroger stores in Texas and Louisiana and Brookshire's Grocery stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. They were also distributed to smaller retailers not named in the recall, which means the affected eggs may have reached more states than those listed. Specific brand names included in the recall are Country Morning Grade A Large eggs and Brookshire's Jumbo White eggs, among others.
If you have any of these eggs in your fridge right now — throw them out. Don't eat them, don't cook with them, don't save them. Trash them.
How Bad Can Salmonella Actually Get
Most salmonella infections feel like a bad stomach bug — diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps — and clear up on their own within a week. That's the typical experience for otherwise healthy adults. But that's not the whole picture.
In severe cases salmonella can cause arterial infections, endocarditis — an infection of the heart's inner lining — and reactive arthritis. People in high-risk groups face much more serious consequences: young children whose immune systems aren't fully developed, adults over 65, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system can develop infections severe enough to require hospitalization or become life-threatening if they go untreated.
The CDC estimates salmonella is responsible for approximately 1.35 million illnesses and 420 deaths in the United States every year — making it one of the most common and consequential foodborne bacteria in the country. Twenty-six hospitalizations from this single outbreak in a matter of weeks gives a sense of how quickly it can escalate.
This Isn't the Only Salmonella Problem Right Now
The egg recall is happening alongside a completely separate salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños that's been growing all summer. As of last Friday that outbreak had sickened 345 people across 27 states with 36 hospitalizations. Several people who fell ill reported recently eating at Chipotle or Qdoba. Both chains have since stopped serving the potentially contaminated jalapeños grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and the CDC and FDA said they don't consider those establishments to be an ongoing risk at this point.
Taylor Farms, a major produce supplier, also recalled various prepared products made with jalapeños on August 9 — products that had been sold at Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart, and Whole Foods.
Two simultaneous salmonella outbreaks from two completely different food sources is an unusual situation and has put food safety officials on alert heading into the back-to-school grocery shopping season.
What to Do Right Now
Check your egg cartons. Look at the sell-by date and the brand name. If anything matches — out they go. Wash your hands and any surfaces the cartons touched.
If you've eaten eggs recently and developed diarrhea, fever, or stomach cramps within 6 to 48 hours — those are the typical salmonella symptoms — see a doctor, especially if symptoms are severe or you're in a high-risk group. Mention the egg recall when you call.
Midwest Poultry Services says it has halted distribution and began diverting eggs to a pasteurization plant when it first learned of the potential issue. The FDA's Class I upgrade doesn't change what you should do — it just makes official what the outbreak data already suggested.
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