Rita's Ice Drops Custard Due To Egg Shortage
BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ) – Looks like one summer treat will be taking a hiatus after Rita's Ice decides to pull its custard from its menu.
As our country deals with the millions of chickens and turkeys killed by avian flu in the Midwest, Maryland Agriculture officials are making changes in how the flocks are managed.
As Mike Schuh reports the avian flu is even affecting the popular summer chain Rita's Italian Ice.
Troubling signs are now common in Baltimore egg cases. The virus, carried in the feces of birds, has killed millions of chickens and turkeys in farms in the Midwest from contamination spread on the tires of farm trucks.
This disease is now threatening the billion-dollar poultry industry in Maryland and the state Agriculture Department is now telling farmers how to keep it off their farms.
"So if we have a case of Avian Influenza in the Delmarva, it could spread and be very, very devastating to the industry," officials say.
"You just can't let your guard down, especially this fall," she said. "We're really asking people to do all they can to not let that disease come to your farm."
To stop the problem, she wants poultry farmers to limit the amount of outside mud tracked across their land.
"There needs to be a line of separation, a clean line. Beyond that line, don't let anyone cross that who doesn't have to."
Another fallout from the flu: Rita's Italian Ice, a popular summer treat chain, has pulled custards from their stores nationwide because they can't get enough eggs, a main ingredient in their custard.
The popular Italian ice chain addressed concerned patrons on its Facebook page:
Officials here say they expect to see a case or two in Maryland this fall, but are ready to respond.
