US-based egg producer Quality Egg has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a fine of $6.8m for selling substandard eggs with false labeling and tainted products that resulted in nationwide outbreak of salmonella in 2010.
Back then, the outbreak sickened many people and forced the company to recall 550 million eggs, which were sold for around eight months in 2010.
As per the plea agreement revealed in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, the company's owner Austin DeCoster and chief operating officer Peter DeCoster had accepted charges of bribing an inspector of US Department of Agriculture, introducing misbranded food into interstate commerce and also introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.
Though the DeCosters were unaware of selling tainted products, they faced the charges as they were running the company and were held responsible for all its activites.
In addition to the $6.8m fine, each of the DeCosters will pay $100,000 in fines. Both of them are also expected to face charges ranging from probation to imprisonment of one year.
