Where do you get your eggs?

Grocers and restaurant staff could be hearing that question more frequently now that the state Department of Agriculture announced eggs included in the Food and Drug Administration's national recall have reached Michigan.

The egg recall news was enough to prompt Dexter resident Jen Stevenson to make a special trip the People’s Food Co-op in Ann Arbor to purchase two dozen eggs she knows for certain came from a farm in Michigan.

But Ann Arbor resident Gail Hubbard said she was unconcerned and would continue to buy her eggs from a local Kroger.

To see if your eggs are impacted by the national recall, check the carton for the plant number and Julian date and visit the FDA website that contains recall details.

Food and Drug Administration photo

“They’re good about posting recalls,” Hubbard said.

The FDA issued a national egg recall on Aug. 13 after investigating why cases of Salmonella enteritidis illnesses increased four-fold since May. The cause of the infections was traced to two Iowa egg producers. The recall was expanded on Aug. 18 and again on Aug. 20.

No cases of salmonella poisoning connected to the egg recall have yet been reported in Michigan, according to Washtenaw County health department officials.

That hasn’t stopped customers at The Broken Egg from frequently inquiring about the recall, restaurant manager Carol Hopp said. The restaurant's egg supplier, Gordon Food Service, doesn't get its eggs from the Iowa farms identified by the FDA.

“A lot of people are inquiring,” she said. But Hopp added that in her seven years at the restaurant, national recalls don’t seem to prompt customers to change their eating habits. That is, until the someone from Washtenaw County gets sick.

According to state officials, it’s a possibility.

"This is a fluid, changing process as the investigation is ongoing. Federal, state, and local investigators follow the chain of evidence to identify the various channels of distribution," Don Koivisto, MDA director, said in a news release. “The best advice I can give is be an informed consumer - ask where eggs are purchased and always cook your eggs well. And, always, the best rule of thumb is when in doubt, throw it out."

Salmonella infections could still turn up, officials say.

“No Michigan cases have been linked to the outbreak, but that could certainly change because it takes time to test for salmonella,” said Kristen Schweighoefer, the environmental health supervisor for the Washtenaw County Public Health Department.

Schweighoefer’s department is responsible for licensing and inspecting Washtenaw County restaurant and food service establishments, while the Michigan Department of Agriculture inspects grocery and convenient stores and processing plants.

According to the FDA, healthy people infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea which could possibly be bloody, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. If the organism reaches the bloodstream, it can produce severe illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis. Salmonella can cause serious infections and even death in children, the frail and elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

What to do about the eggs in your fridge

Schweighoefer said consumers should check to see what egg brands are in their fridges. After noting the plant number and Julian date, consumers should cross check that information with an FDA chart that contains a list of all eggs impacted by the recall.

Detailed instructions are found here.

According to the recall, the following brands are affected:

Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps.

If both the plant number and Julian date are listed on the chart, then the eggs are part of the recall and should be thrown out. A Julian date is a system of time used by the scientific community.

Juliana Keeping is a health and environment reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter