Shrinking Egg Industry Sparks Concern

For those who’ve been taken aback by the ferocity with which salmonella has spread this week, prompting the largest egg recall in U.S. history, the answer may lie in the shrinking egg industry: Just two distributors have caused this month's massive recall. And only 192 large egg companies own about 95% of American laying hens, the Washington Post reports—compared to 2,500 companies in 1987. "A few large manufacturers send product to wholesalers and distributors who repackage and sell it under other brand names," explains Jeff Farrar, the FDA's associate commissioner for food protection. As a result, it can take weeks to track down where tainted eggs have been sold. Patty Lovera, assistant director of the food safety organization Food and Water Watch, said "I don't think people have any idea when they see all these brand names in the stores that so many are coming from the same place.”