Lucky’s was temporarily closed earlier this month after at least 20 patrons became sick from salmonella, a bacterial infection with symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever.
“During the investigation of the food-borne outbreak at Lucky’s Taproom, it was determined that the homemade mayonnaise did in fact test positive for salmonella,” said Ashley McDonald, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
“The eggs they were using to make the mayonnaise at Lucky’s were not pasteurized, so they weren’t using any kill-step in the process to kill off the pathogen. That pointed to the eggs as potentially being involved in the outbreak.”
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there are approximately 142,000 illnesses every year that are caused by consuming eggs contaminated with salmonella.
Officials from the state agricultural department visited Kenneth Miller Farm early last week to take environmental samples, McDonald said.
“We brought the samples back here to our labs to test, and they did test positive for salmonella E,” McDonald said, referring to one of two strains of salmonella.
But while the eggs from the farm tested positive for salmonella, the state has yet to confirm whether it’s the same strain found in the mayonnaise.
“The environmental samples were sent over to the Ohio Department of Health to see if the two could be linked,” McDonald said. “That testing has not come back yet, so we can’t say 100 percent that the eggs in fact did cause the illness. However, it is likely due to the fact that we know where the eggs came from, and we have a salmonella positive on that farm.”
The farm will have to undergo environmental cleaning and sanitation procedures to eliminate salmonella before it can resume egg production, McDonald said.
“We want to make sure that the pathogen that was there is no longer there before we they can start producing eggs again, so we’ll be working with the farm on an ongoing basis to make sure they’re doing their sanitation and getting back up and running.”
McDonald said the recall was issued, in part, as a warning to consumers who may have recently purchased the eggs, which come in cartons identified by Miller Farms, New Lebanon, Ohio.
“We wanted to make sure that wherever these eggs went, people were aware that we had a positive test (for salmonella) on the farm,” she said.
But the warning doesn’t just apply to the recalled eggs.
“If you’re making homemade mayo or anything else, you should be using pasteurized eggs,” McDonald added.
Kenneth Miller said customers who recently purchased eggs from the farm may bring them back for a full refund. He said the recall was issued “out of concern for the health and safety of its customers.”
The Department of Agriculture also said Miller’s farm sold some eggs to the Mudlick Tap House in Germantown. A Mudlick employee said Friday that the business disposed of any eggs purchased from the farm and has not had any salmonella issues.
Consumers with questions or concerns can call the farm directly at (937) 696-2733.
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