US regulators have upgraded a recall of nearly 1.6 million dozen eggs to their highest-risk classification after linking them to a salmonella outbreak. The move matters because the affected eggs may still be in consumers’ homes or businesses until their sell-by dates expire, and salmonella can cause serious illness.

At least 98 people in 17 states became ill between November 2025 and June 2026, with 26 hospitalised and no reported deaths. The Texas-produced cage-free eggs were distributed across Texas and parts of the south and south-west, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma; customers are advised not to eat them and to return them for refunds.