Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are looking into the recall of eggs from two Iowa farms that may be responsible for hundreds of cases of Salmonella poisoning. Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, is vice-chair of the committee.

“One of the things we are trying to do is make sure that we have a system in place that protects America’s food consumers and provides assurances that necessary safety precautions are being carried out before those products enter the market,” Braley said. More than 500 million eggs have been recalled by Wright County Farms in Galt and Hillandale Farms in New Hampton.

Braley says the committee will focus on uncovering the facts before reaching any conclusions. In an e-mail, Braley praised Wright County Farms for taking the appropriate steps to correct the problem despite legal problems in the past. Braley says there’s a big difference between past misbehavior and how they company responded.

“They have a very troubling history in terms of the way they’ve operated,” Braley said. “Their employment practices, their environmental practices…are to be properly condemned for things they have done in the past that were not according to the law.”

Braley says he is trying to focus on the immediate problem of protecting consumers. He was a guest on the Iowa Public Radio program The Exchange.