“With one of 5 children facing hunger here in San Diego County, and thousands of children losing access to school breakfast and lunch programs during the summer, the combination of donations like this and our programs will make a difference for so many during difficult times like this,” Seneor said.
Published in The San Diego Union-Tribune on June 24, 2015.
Misleading labels on “California Fresh” eggs — really from Iowa — will end up benefiting local food banks, as San Diego’s consumer protection unit accepted more than 200,000 eggs from the distributor for charitable purposes.
The San Diego Food Bank and Feeding America San Diego received the eggs, as announced by City Attorney Jan Goldsmith on Wednesday at a news conference.
County egg inspectors spotted the errant packaging at local Costco stores. The packages read, “California Fresh,” and “Product of Hidden Villa Ranch, Fullerton, CA.”
Close review of the cartons showed a code used by the federal Department of Agriculture, which betrayed the real origin.
Kathryn Lange-Turner, the head of the City Attorney’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit, said consumers can check egg origins themselves on the Department of Agriculture website. Plugging in the “P” number on the side of the carton — with a P followed by a set of numbers — will bring up the information.
“It is very important that consumers trust the packaging and what is on the packaging,” Lange-Turner said.
There could also be health concerns, she said.
“We are concerned with salmonella with all fresh food, and we do want to make sure that we know the source of our food just in case it is recalled,” Lange-Turned said.
The eggs for local food banks came from Luberski Inc. of Fullerton, the distributor.
“It was strictly a clerical error,” said Don Lawson of Luberski. “As soon as it was pointed out by the city, we made the change within two to three weeks.”
Lawson said the company previously got eggs from a ranch in Ramona, and the labeling was a vestige of that supplier. He said his company suggested the egg donations, as part of a $103,000 monetary settlement.
The City Attorney’s Office reached the settlement with Luberski on May 6.
“We did get fines. But more than that, we will use this donation, and a lot of people will be fed nutritious eggs,” Goldsmith said. “The idea is to give something back to the community, in addition to the $50,000 in fines.”
Jenny Seneor, director of programs for Feeding America San Diego, and James Floros, president of the San Diego Food Bank, were also present at the Wednesday press conference.
“With one of 5 children facing hunger here in San Diego County, and thousands of children losing access to school breakfast and lunch programs during the summer, the combination of donations like this and our programs will make a difference for so many during difficult times like this,” Seneor said.
Most of the 75,000 eggs already received by Feeding America San Diego are being distributed through the School Pantry Program, which partners with local public schools, offering food to families and students.
“The timing of this donation could not be better,” Floros said. “During the summer months, we see a drop in the amount of food that we receive during food drives and what not. And at the same time, we see a tremendous spike in demand.”
In a series of shipments, the first arriving on June 4, the San Diego Food Bank has received a total of 125,640 eggs. The San Diego Food Bank is partners with 330 non-profit agencies. The Salvation Army, the Islamic Foundation of San Diego, along with various local churches, are among the 80 non-profit agencies to have received eggs from the shipments, Floros said.
Both Floros and Seneor commented how protein-rich foods, like eggs, are of high value for their food banks.
“We don’t get eggs donated,” Floros said. “We don’t purchase eggs. They’re too fragile.”
Image credit: Eduardo Contreras of The San Diego Union-Tribune