A Ramona egg rancher is disputing San Diego County Public Health findings connecting the company’s unpasteurized eggs to a Salmonella outbreak that sickened 22 people. County health officials announced Monday that investigators had connected eggs from Happy Hens to the outbreak. According to in vestigators, unpasteurized Happy Hens eggs were used to make mayonnaise in the delicatessen at Ramona Family Naturals Market. The county said 22 people became sick and seven were hospitalized. Happy Hens owner Chloe Nevarez, however, questions how investigators linked the illnesses to her farm. She said nine people who became ill had the same genotyping, but the health department did not obtain a test sample from her farm. “All nine of those people had salmonella from either chicken or eggs, but how that links back to our farm is null and void. There is no connection,” Nevarez said. Nevarez said she is confident in the safety of the farm’s eggs and drinks them raw. “We are doing things in a way that passes so many standards that are out there because we want to provide a product that is actually healthy,” Nevarez said. Nevarez’s family members have been chicken ranchers for decades. Happy Hens supplies grocery stores and maintains a flock of about 14,000 birds. The company’s cartons describe its product as “the egg of the conscious consumer.” Its chickens are 100% organic and raised outdoors. “We’re really focused on the health-conscious person. We deliver eggs all over San Diego, Los Angeles and up through the central coast,” Nevarez said. San Diego County said it is working closely with state, food, and agriculture officials, plus the California Department of Public Health. In an email responding to NBC San Diego’s questions, the county’s Health and Human Services Agency spokesperson Tim McClain said the known cases remain in San Diego County. “So far, all the known cases are in the County of San Diego as the investigation continues. Cases have been connected to both the market and the egg farm,” McClain said. The county’s response did not specify what evidence investigators used to connect Happy Hens to the outbreak. “It’s absolutely frustrating,” Nevarez said. Nevarez also questioned how investigators handled the mayonnaise made with the raw eggs. “As soon as they heard there were raw eggs in the mayonnaise, they were like — that’s it! Most likely cause. They did not test the mayonnaise,” Nevarez said. Nevarez said Happy Hens is taking a financial hit totaling thousands of dollars. So far, there has been no recall of the company’s eggs, and Nevarez said she has had little opportunity to defend her family’s business. A spokesperson for Ramona Family Naturals Market declined an on-camera interview with NBC San Diego. Aubry Brown, with the market, provided the following statement: “The results aren’t conclusive. We are working with the health department. We very much appreciate our customer support.” This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less