A popular Texas egg brand is under fire after federal regulators discovered some of its products may have come from out of state. The FDA issued a notice this week tying Kenz Henz eggs—long marketed as locally sourced from Santa Fe, Texas—to a potential Salmonella contamination linked to eggs originally produced in Arkansas.
The news has left loyal customers frustrated and confused. Many believed they were buying eggs from a small, local farm, only to learn that some cartons may have been filled with eggs from another supplier. The FDA’s involvement has sparked questions about transparency, labeling, and food safety, especially for brands that market themselves as “local”.
What happened with the FDA and Kenz Henz eggs
According to the Food and Drug Administration, the warning came after Kenz Henz reported possible contamination in a batch of eggs that did not originate from its Santa Fe farm. Instead, the company said it received eggs from Black Sheep Egg Company, an Arkansas-based supplier that recently issued its own recall for possible Salmonella contamination.
In the FDA notice, Kenz Henz acknowledged distributing some of those Arkansas-sourced eggs to Houston-area stores under its own label. The brand’s packaging, however, made no mention of an out-of-state source—it stated the eggs were “pastured in Santa Fe, Texas”. That’s what upset longtime customers like Judi Hurwitt, who told local reporters she had trusted the company for years.
“It says right here, Santa Fe, Texas”, Hurwitt said, pointing to a Kenz Henz carton. “I believed it”.
The FDA confirmed that the updated warning was related to eggs repackaged and sold by a Texas buyer—in this case, Kenz Henz. It’s unclear how long the company has been sourcing eggs from Arkansas. When reached for comment, Kenz Henz’s owner declined to respond, while former employees have since claimed that shipments from out of state were not new.
One former worker, Matthew Currie, said that when he worked at the farm five years ago, large truckloads of eggs would arrive from Arkansas several times a month. “We would unload them and then we would wash them and package them in Kenz Henz boxes”, he said.
The revelation has fueled questions about how much of the company’s supply actually comes from its Santa Fe operation, and why that connection wasn’t disclosed to consumers.
What customers should know and do next
The FDA’s notice ties the Kenz Henz warning to the Salmonella-related recall initiated by Black Sheep Egg Company in September. While there have been no confirmed illnesses reported so far, the agency urges anyone who purchased Kenz Henz eggs in recent weeks to check for recall information.
Consumers who bought eggs labeled as pastured in Santa Fe, Texas, from local stores like H-E-B or Kroger should verify whether their cartons are affected. H-E-B confirmed that all potentially contaminated eggs have been removed from store shelves. Kroger did not immediately comment.
If you still have Kenz Henz eggs at home, it’s safest to discard them or return them to the store for a refund. As always, eggs should be cooked thoroughly to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The FDA also recommends washing hands and surfaces after handling raw eggs.