According to public records, the Cincinnati District Office of the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to the management of Ohio Fresh Eggs LLC dated February 25, 2011. The action was taken as a result of failure by the producer to divert eggs to pasteurization following consecutive SE positive egg assays.
The eggs in question were recalled with minimal publicity and with no evidence of adverse effects among consumers. In addition, this producer was cited for failure to initiate egg assays following a positive environmental sample.
It is noted that Ohio Fresh Eggs LLC is ultimately controlled by Jack Austin DeCoster who was involved in the August 2010 SE egg recall from his farms in Iowa, which resulted in extensive losses estimated to be in excess of $100 million to the U.S. shell-egg industry.
The documented deviations from required action in the event of an environmental positive must be regarded in a serious light by both the regulatory authorities and the industry. Any negligence or unscrupulous practice which may compromise safety has the potential to degrade the image of our product. The actions of a minority could easily invalidate progress made by the American Egg Board in promoting consumption. It must be remembered that the American Egg Board is funded through a check-off program to which all producers contribute. The collective responsibility of all stakeholders in egg production is self-evident.
