An egg recall from an Iowa producer is not believed to have reached retail stores in Arizona, but state officials say consumers should be checking their cartons anyway.

Investigations into the recalled eggs, linked to a salmonella outbreak, are not yet complete, said Joli Weiss, food-borne disease epidemiologist for the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The eggs recalled from Wright County Egg Farm in Galt, Iowa, are believed to have been distributed only to Arizona food-service providers or restaurants in bulk, not in retail stores.

But Weiss said consumers still need to be cautious. The best way to check is to look at the side of the carton - there's a plant number that begins with the letter "P" and then the number. The Egg Safety Center lists plant numbers affected by the national recall as 1026, 1413, 1720, 1942, 1663, 1091, 1156, 1686, 1292, 1860 and 1946.

There's also a Julian date next to the plant number. Affected eggs are in the Julian date range from 099 to 230. The Julian date and plant number must match.

"If you have any of those eggs, throw them out or return them," Weiss said. "But for any eggs, recalled or not, cook them thoroughly to ensure safety."

Arizona officials have pulled nearly a quarter-million eggs from wholesalers' warehouses since the recall was announced.

There are probable cases associated with the outbreak in Pima County. Local cases of salmonella spiked in June when there were 32 cases versus the 20 or fewer reported in the four previous years. Numbers for July have not been finalized.

More information

Go online to the Egg Safety Center (www.eggsafety.org) or call Wright County's toll-free information line: 866-272-5582, which contains a message with recall instructions for consumers. Information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is available at www.cdc.gov/salmonella/enteritidis

Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at sinnes@azstarnet.com or 573-4134.