A poultry farm in Michigan is reportedly recalling shell eggs in eight counties because they may be contaminated with Salmonella enteriditis, which was found at the farm during an outbreak investigation.

As of Monday night it was not known if the recalled eggs have white or brown shells. Photo illustration

Neither the state agriculture department nor the state health department had posted any information about the recall as of Monday night, but area media was reporting that LaBar Poultry Farm in Manistique on the upper peninsula had recalled eggs distributed to restaurants, grocery stores and directly to consumers.

The eight counties implicated are Alger, Delta, Dickinson, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee and Schoolcraft, according to The Sault News of Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Consumers can identify the eggs, which are packaged in dozen-count cartons, by looking for the LaBar Poultry Farm name and dates of Aug. 30 or Sept. 30, the newspaper reported.

Whether the recalled eggs are related to a Salmonella enteriditis outbreak Michigan officials were investigating in early July among patrons of a restaurant in Marquette County was not clear Monday evening. Patrick L. Jacuzzo, the Marquette County director of environmental health, told Food Safety News in July that raw, unpasteurized eggs served in Hollandaise sauce with eggs Benedict were the suspected source.

Jacuzzo said Michigan’s agriculture department was investigating an egg producer but that test results were not available at that time. He did not name the egg producer or the restaurant. Officials from the agriculture department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

LeBar Poultry Farm is owned by Jeff and Heidi LaBar, according to Michigan state records. The farm’s Facebook page was not activated Monday night. The Detroit Free Press reported in August 2014 that Jeff LaBar won $3.3 million on a lottery ticket.

The Sault News reported Monday evening that Salmonella enteritidis was detected on the LaBar farm during environmental sampling as part of a foodborne illness outbreak investigation. Consumers and retail establishments who have purchased the eggs are urged not to eat them and to dispose of the product immediately.

Anyone who has eaten LaBar Poultry Farm brand eggs and developed symptoms of Salmonella infection should immediately seek medical attention and tell their doctors of the possible exposure to the proper diagnostic tests can be preformed.

Symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and sometimes fever and usually develop 12 to 72 hours after infection, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. However, in some cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that patients need to be hospitalized. Serious and sometimes fatal infections and side effects occur in children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.

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