Over half a billion eggs nationwide have been recalled since August 13. Salmonella exposure from the eggs has made over 1,300 people sick.
Two Iowa farms that supply the same distributor, Quality Egg, are the source of the outbreak. Austin “Jack” Decoster owns the distributor and one of the farms. Decoster’s companies have a long history of abuse against workers and the environment, from 1994.
The outbreak has exposed the failure of the capitalist government to regulate food production because it places the interests of corporate profit over public health and safety. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for regulating shelled eggs. The FDA never even visited either of the Iowa farms because its policy is to wait until an outbreak to inspect.
A few large companies now control a majority of the egg industry—like most agricultural production. The government’s so-called regulatory institutions allow these companies that abuse the environment, workers’ rights and public safety to operate with impunity in the interests of profit.
