The nation-wide egg recall expanded to include half a billion eggs as more salmonella-related illness reports are cropping up.

The recall has given proponents of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act new hope that the bill, which outlines expanded federal authority over national food safety, will be passed by the Senate.

FDA Chief Margaret Hamburg went on national television on Monday to address the egg recall.

In an interview, she criticized the procedures that the two implicated producers - Hillandale Farms and Wright County Egg, both of which acquire chickens from the same distributor.

...there is no question that these farms that are involved in the recall were not operating with the standards of practice that we consider responsible...

Some of these practices concern not only the storage and distribution of eggs, but also the treatment of the egg-laying hens themselves.

Humane Society of the United States and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have both issued statements condemning the extreme confinement of hens and drawing a correlation between this practice and the recent salmonella outbreak.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever within 72 hours of contact with the pathogen.

Officials remind consumers to thoroughly cook eggs and to wash hands and utensils after contact with raw or undercooked eggs.

Previously on Earth Eats: Egg Recall Expands To 380 Million Eggs, Salmonella Outbreak Blamed

Read more:

• Egg Industry Faces New Scrutiny After Outbreak (New York Times)
• In Face Of Egg Recall, FDA Calls For More Authority (NPR)
• The egg recall saga continues (Food Politics)