AlterNet reports
On June 27, 2016, Jack and Peter DeCoster, former owners of a Quality Egg Co. (not kidding), were ordered to begin serving time in jail.
The pair previously had been sentenced to three months each in jail for their role in a salmonella poisoning outbreak in 2010. The culprits admitted to knowingly shipping eggs with false processing and expiration dates to fool state regulators and retail customers about their age, and to bribing a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspector at least twice to approve sales of poor-quality eggs.
In sentencing the egg operators, U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett said, "Given the defendants' careless oversight and repeated violations of safety standards, there is an increased likelihood that these offenses, or offenses like these, could happen again. The punishment will also serve to effectively deter against the marketing of unsafe foods and widespread harm to public health by similarly situated corporate officials and other executives in the industry." A "litany of shameful conduct" occurred under the DeCosters' watch, Judge Bennett told NBC News.
The Supreme Court refused1 to hear an appeal.
[...] for consumers and honest egg producers, the sentences are both long overdue, and far too weak given Quality Egg's history, which includes at least 10 deaths and 500 people made ill from salmonella-infected eggs produced by the DeCoster-owned egg operations.
[...] As early as 1982, at least one person had died from DeCoster eggs and in 1987, nine people died and 500 were sickened said authorities.
As is the case with most factory farmers, the DeCosters' food safety issues were inextricably linked to abuse of workers, animals, and the environment.
[...] In 1996, federal investigators found DeCoster workers living in rat- and cockroach-infested housing. The egg operation was fined $3.6 million. It was also cited for improper asbestos removal. "The conditions in this migrant farm site are as dangerous and oppressive as any sweatshop we have seen", said Labor Secretary Robert Reich at the time; "I thought I was going to faint and I was only there a few minutes", said Cesar Britos, an attorney representing DeCoster workers, after entering a barn.
[...] In 2009, state agriculture officials raided the same operation visited by Reich and Britos. They encountered ammonia fumes so noxious, four department workers had to be treated by doctors for burned lungs.
[...] After the raid, [Quality Egg's retailer customers] denied that they were associated with the company and few stores would admit receiving any of the 21 million eggs the company was known to ship each week. Retail supermarket chains Shaw's and Hannaford both denied doing business with Quality, even though the Sun Journal found eggs from the raided farm, stamped "1183" or "1203", at their stores. And Eggland's Best, which maintained three dedicated barns on the Quality Egg grounds according to an undercover Mercy For Animals (MFA) employee, denied doing business with Quality Egg--even though an Eggland's Best truck can be seen in the video of the raid!
[...] Despite a decades-long rap sheet, DeCoster expanded his egg empire into Iowa, Ohio, and Maryland with the help of Boston public relations guru George Regan. The DeCosters even added hogs to the mix.
1 Link in article appears to contain tracking data — removed by submitter. [Thanks! -Ed.]
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 08 2017, @11:57PM (3 children)
Librul gub'mint overreach!
Forcing businessmen to put *dates* on their food products? This is why we're falling so far behind everyone.
We see this kind of thing all the time. These are the type of job-killing regulations that are strangling our economy!
And now we're sending people to jail? A few people died. So what? People die all the time.
Getting rid of all this horrendous red tape and regulation will help Make America Great Again! Let's stop persecuting the job creators who suffer terribly under these draconian and unfair regulations!
Abolish the Department of Agriculture, the FDA, Consumer "protection" agencies and their state analogs! Kill Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer! Burn down the MSM^W Fake News establishment!
Amirite?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 09 2017, @12:21AM (1 child)
As far as I can see, TPP is simply on hold.
If the original isn't eventually brought back, something a whole lot like it will be written.
Pretty sure all of your points will be covered.
The Orange Clown doesn't seem to have any worker-friendly inclinations.
He (and the GOP-majority Congress) are all about corporate profits, so USA will be on board.
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer
Neoliberals (also corporate-friendly; just a slightly different batch of corporations).
...and WRT the resolve of worker-friendly non-GOPers, it appears that Bernie got blackmailed into backing down on single-payer healthcare.
His wife is suspected in some institutional hanky panky from years ago.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 09 2017, @12:34AM
TPP was going to include the US and exclude China. Now that the US is out, Australia and New Zealand have made noises [newsweek.com] about including China.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 09 2017, @04:33AM
Troll? Modded me Troll?
For speaking the truth? For pointing out that these men should be showered with praise and given medals because they create jobs and fight back against the job-killing regulations like dating perishable food products. Mercy me!
These librul forking iceholes are taking over this place.
Help me Obi Wan Khallow. You're my only hope!