Consumer Confidential: Google readies for literary debut; egg farm back in business

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Here’s your walloping Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Google’s campaign for world domination continues. Now comes word that the company will unveil an online bookstore within the next few weeks. Google Editions will allow users to read books online and to download desired tomes to the e-book reader of their choice, including, apparently, iPads and smart phones. I’m seeing this as a plus for readers because a big dog like Google has the potential to drive e-prices lower and make digital books more affordable and accessible.

--Good news, egg lovers: Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, has been cleared by federal authorities to once again ship eggs to consumers. The company was at the center of a salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 1,820 people during the summer and led to the recall of 550 million eggs. The Food and Drug Administration says Wright can begin shipping shell eggs from two of its 73 henhouses. The company has six egg farms in and around Galt. Since August, it has been under orders from the FDA to sell only to ‘breaker’ facilities, where eggs are broken and processed to eliminate potential pathogens.

-- David Lazarus