Theirs was one of the largest egg businesses in the United
States and food safety officials repeatedly found disgusting conditions when
they checked the facilities.
DeCoster Egg Quality Farm paid a fine of $6.8 million and
Jack, 80, and Peter, 51, were each fined $100,000.
Judge Mark Bennett said “there’s a litany of shameful
conduct, in my view, that happened on their watch.”
The DeCosters are appealing their sentences, so they remain
free pending the outcome of their appeals.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 56,000 people
got sick eating DeCoster eggs.
They sold eggs beyond their expiry date and they bribed U.S.
inspectors to enable them to sell substandard eggs.
