"Inquiry on egg farms in Maine; Ties to tainted Iowa operation" by Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | September 16, 2010
Three egg producers in Maine that supply many New England grocery stores are under scrutiny by congressional investigators because of their ties to Austin “Jack’’ DeCoster, whose Iowa farm was at the center of the recent egg recall.
If you want an omelet you have to break a few eggs, right?
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has requested that DeCoster turn over inspection records and documents related to any allegations of egg contamination, or violations of health, safety, environmental, or animal cruelty laws at Dorothy Egg Farms, Mountain Hollow Farms, and Quality Egg of New England. Together, the three Maine farms provide about 100 million cartons of eggs a year to grocery stores throughout the region....
Many supermarket chains in the region have long assured nervous consumers that their eggs do not come from DeCoster farms, which have a history of labor and environmental violations. But by stocking eggs from Dorothy Egg, Mountain Hollow, and Quality Egg farms, the grocery stores have — wittingly or not — sold eggs produced by businesses with ties to the DeCoster empire.
While no eggs from the three Maine farms were linked to the recent recall, the producers have multiple connections to DeCoster’s companies, leasing land and equipment, using the same hen and feed suppliers, and even sharing the same mailing address in Galt, Iowa, with Wright County Egg, the DeCoster farm at the center of the recent salmonella outbreak.
“It’s a sophisticated business enterprise. But when you check all these entities, they ultimately all come back to Jack DeCoster,’’ said Andrew Robinson, an assistant district attorney for the Androscoggin County district attorney’s office who prosecuted a case this year involving animal cruelty at a Maine plant that was owned by a DeCoster firm and leased by Mountain Hollow....
Area supermarkets said they are unaware of major ties between DeCoster and the three Maine farms.
Officials at Shaw’s Supermarkets and Stop & Shop both said this week they do not buy eggs from DeCoster. Yet a Globe reporter found egg cartons in Boston area locations of both stores from the Maine farms with close connections to DeCoster, as well as at Market Basket and Hannaford Supermarkets. These eggs are often sold under store labels....
I don't want to knock it; however, this is what the Globe investigates now.
You know, anyone can stand on a street corner or go to the mall when they are not watching NECN and drinking coffee in the newsroom.
DeCoster is expected to testify on Capitol Hill next week about the recall, the largest egg recall in US history. The two Iowa farms believed to be the source of the contaminated eggs are already under investigation by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is examining the salmonella outbreak and the adequacy of efforts to ensure the safety and security of the nation’s food supply....
Meaning it is neither safe nor secure.
Records from the Maine Department of Agriculture also show that all three farms get their young hens shipped in from Ohio Fresh Eggs, a commercial farm in which DeCoster is a big investor....
Feed is considered a possible source of contamination during this summer’s outbreak. A feed mill in Iowa where salmonella was detected is part of the DeCoster empire....
Adding to the controversy surrounding DeCoster are charges of animal cruelty....
--more--"
You know what would be a good thing to do with those eggs?
Throw them at war criminals and looters wherever they appear.
And I'm reserving a case for DeCoster:
"Eggs from farms tied to DeCoster found locally" by Jenn Abelson and Alexandria McMahon, Globe Staff | Globe Correspondent | September 16, 2010
In the aftermath of the recent salmonella scare, some major supermarkets in New England said they don’t sell eggs produced by farms owned by Austin “Jack’’ DeCoster, the man at the center of the largest egg recall in US history.
But Globe reporters visiting about half a dozen stores over the past two weeks found egg cartons bearing stamps from three Maine farms that have multiple ties to the DeCoster empire....
I must confess I would huck a few at them.
The cartons don’t have DeCoster’s name on them. But an egg producer stamps its plant number on each carton. Shaw’s, Stop & Shop, Hannaford, and Market Basket, under their store brands, are selling row after row of egg cartons....
The eggs that come from the three Maine producers run the gamut — brown eggs, white eggs, vegetarian-fed, organic....
Take a ball bat to 'em -- or just make sure they are cooked long enough?
Oh, government and corporate media said that?
Related: No sign of salmonella at Maine farm, officials say
Go ahead and eat up, Globe.
I'll pass.
