CDC declared the multistate Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak linked to Midwest Poultry Services shell eggs over on September 3, 2026, and FDA closed its investigation the same day. The final count is 134 people sick in 18 states, 34 of them hospitalized, and no deaths. The recalled eggs are long past their sell-by dates and are no longer on shelves. If you still have eggs at home from the July 22, 2026 recall — cartons coded P-1950 or 0840962 with a Julian date between 157 and 184 — throw them out.
The final numbers
- 134 confirmed illnesses in 18 states: AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, LA, MI, MO, MS, NC, NM, NV, NY, OK, SC, TX and WV.
- 34 hospitalizations — 35 percent of the people counted, which is roughly triple the usual hospitalization rate for Salmonella.
- No deaths reported.
- Illness onsets ran from November 21, 2025 to August 12, 2026.
- Ages ranged from under one year to 86, with a median age of 42.
- Of the 54 people interviewed, 46 — 85 percent — reported eating eggs before they got sick.
This was overwhelmingly a Texas outbreak
CDC’s state-by-state data shows 99 of the 134 cases in Texas. Louisiana had 8, Arkansas 5, Arizona 4, New Mexico 3, and Georgia and Oklahoma 2 each. Eleven other states — California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, South Carolina and West Virginia — reported one case apiece.
That geography tracks the distribution. FDA confirmed the recalled eggs went to customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, sold at Kroger and Brookshire Grocery stores and through smaller retail and foodservice outlets under the Kroger, Simple Truth, Brookshire’s, Country Morning and Sunups labels, plus bulk eggs with no carton at all.
The recall covered four weeks. The illnesses covered nine months.
This is the part worth sitting with. The July 22 recall covered eggs produced between June 6 and July 3, 2026 — a four-week window. But CDC’s own onset data shows people getting sick long before that. Counting the daily figures CDC published, 74 of the 134 illnesses — a clear majority — began before June 6, the first day of the recalled production window. The first person got sick on November 21, 2025, eight months before a single egg was pulled.
CDC says PulseNet, the national DNA fingerprinting network, flagged this outbreak in April 2026. The recall came in late July. Eight more people got sick on or after the day the recall was announced, and the last illness began on August 12, three weeks after.
None of that is unusual, and that is the problem. Eggs move fast, people eat them before anyone knows there is an outbreak, and a recall almost always arrives after most of the harm is already done.
How the source was identified
Midwest Poultry Services collected samples at its Texas farms, and its third-party laboratory found Salmonella matching the outbreak strain. The company shared those results with FDA on July 21 and recalled 1,589,577 dozen eggs the next day — more than 19 million eggs. FDA then inspected the Texas operation itself and collected environmental samples; three of them were positive for the outbreak strain by whole genome sequencing. FDA’s traceback, run backward from where sick people said they bought or ate eggs, pointed to the same company.
The strain was resistant to some antibiotics
Sequencing showed this strain had predicted nonsusceptibility to ciprofloxacin and resistance to nalidixic acid. Most Salmonella infections clear without antibiotics, but for the people who needed treatment — and 34 of them were sick enough to be hospitalized — some commonly prescribed drugs would not have worked, and doctors would have had to choose something else. CDC noted the strain is related to Salmonella Enteritidis found in chicken, eggs and backyard poultry.
Why an egg can make you sick even when it looks perfect
Salmonella Enteritidis can infect a hen’s ovary and be deposited inside the egg before the shell forms. There is nothing on the outside to see, wash off, or smell. A clean, uncracked, premium egg carries the same risk if it is eaten raw or undercooked. Cooking is the control — and it is the only one a consumer has.
What to do with eggs at home
- Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Egg-containing dishes should reach 160°F.
- Skip the raw preparations. Homemade mayonnaise, aioli, Caesar dressing, hollandaise, raw cookie dough, eggnog and protein shakes made with raw eggs are all risks. Use pasteurized shell eggs or pasteurized egg product if a recipe calls for raw egg.
- Throw out cracked or dirty eggs. Do not wash a dirty egg — water can carry bacteria through the shell.
- Keep eggs refrigerated at 40°F or below, and refrigerate egg dishes within two hours of cooking, or within one hour if it is above 90°F outside.
- Wash hands, utensils, cutting boards and countertops with hot soapy water after handling raw eggs. The four steps to food safety — clean, separate, cook, chill — cover the rest.
Symptoms, and when to call a doctor
Salmonella infection usually begins 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food, according to FDA, and typically lasts four to seven days. The common symptoms are diarrhea, which can be bloody, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting. Children under five, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are far more likely to be hospitalized.
Call a doctor for a fever above 102°F, bloody stools, vomiting that stops you from keeping liquids down, signs of dehydration, or diarrhea lasting more than three days. Ask for a stool culture. A confirmed laboratory result is what allows public health investigators to connect an individual illness to an outbreak — and in an outbreak like this one, where CDC interviewed only 54 of the 134 people counted, every confirmed test matters.
Sources
CDC final outbreak update, September 3, 2026 · FDA outbreak investigation page · Midwest Poultry Services recall notice
Salmonella
Salmonella sickens more than a million Americans every year and is the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths among foodborne bacteria. Its reach is remarkable — it turns up in produce, poultry, shell eggs, pantry staples, and pet food alike. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. Our Salmonella lawyers have represented thousands of victims in the only U.S. law practice devoted exclusively to foodborne illness, which has recovered more than $850 million for victims and families nationwide. We have tied Salmonella outbreaks to cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, shell eggs, and restaurant meals, and we have brought cases against Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway, Wal-Mart, and Wright County Egg. The Peanut Corporation of America outbreak ended in federal criminal convictions, with the company’s owner sentenced to twenty-eight years in prison. We are also pressing the federal government to treat Salmonella as an adulterant on raw chicken, so that contaminated poultry can be kept off store shelves the way dangerous E. coli already is.
If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection — including lasting complications such as reactive arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — after eating contaminated food, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.
FAQ
What is Salmonella? Salmonella is a group of bacteria behind one of the most common — and most deadly — foodborne infections in the United States, sickening more than a million people a year. Symptoms usually begin between 6 hours and 6 days after eating contaminated food and include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps that last four to seven days.
What foods cause Salmonella outbreaks? Poultry, eggs, ground beef, produce, peanut butter, flour, and even pet food have all caused outbreaks. Salmonella can survive for months in dry, low-moisture foods.
Can a Salmonella infection cause long-term problems? Yes. Some victims develop reactive arthritis — joint pain and swelling that can persist for months — or irritable bowel syndrome after the initial illness resolves.
Who is most at risk? Young children, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized or to suffer severe, invasive infection.
Can I sue for a Salmonella infection? If your illness is linked to a contaminated product or a recognized outbreak, you may have a claim against those in the chain of distribution. A stool culture matching the outbreak strain is powerful evidence.
Additional Resources
- About Salmonella — a complete resource for victims of Salmonella outbreaks
- Marler Clark Salmonella Lawsuits and Litigation
- Downloadable Salmonella Fact Sheet
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