Controversy Edit
In June 2010, DeCoster pled guilty to animal cruelty charges with respect to the conditions of the egg-laying hens, after Mercy for Animals, an animal rights organization forwarded undercover video footage of company facilities in Maine.[3][8] In August, 2010, the company recalled 380 million eggs in connection with a salmonella outbreak,[9] and a related company, Hillandale Farms, recalled 170 million eggs.[2] More than 2000 persons reported illnesses traced to contaminated eggs.