Egg-cellent opportunity hatched after inspector scrambles unlicensed sales

By Andrew Zwicker

Feathers have been ruffled in Rossland recently over the cracking down on local egg sales in some Rossland shops. While local egg sales have been scrambled for at least two Columbia Avenue shops, there is a potential sunny-side and an opportunity for a new local business to get humpty dumpty and his buddies back up on the wall...err shelf.

In the past month Canada Food Inspection Agency inspector David Mutch out of Creston has been making the rounds through the West Kootenay. While in Rossland he put a stop to local egg sales at Nature’s Den and Rossland Grocery as they were violating regulations set out by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands pertaining to egg sales.

Reacting to the cracking down on illegal egg sales, Rossland's Rosa Jordan wrote a letter calling for action and attention to the issue. Following up on this letter the Telegraph did some digging to find out just why local eggs were no longer able to be sold at Nature’s Den and Rossland Grocery.

Jordan's letter acheived its goal of drawing attention to the issue with numerous letters and phone calls received by the area inspector.

Mark Clark, Communications Officer for the Western Area of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, stated that, “the sale of ungraded eggs in British Columbia is contrary to the Provincial Shell Egg Grading Regulation under the Agricultural Produce Grading Act. The regulations pertaining to the sale of ungraded eggs and the markings applied to eggs have been in force for many years.”

Essentially, B.C. stores or resalers are not legally allowed to sell eggs unless they are graded and marked and conform with the Canada Agricultural Products Act and the regulations under it. Also, no person or store shall, for the purpose of reselling, purchase or otherwise obtain ungraded eggs from a producer without a valid and subsisting licence to purchase ungraded eggs.

These rules do not, however, apply to individuals selling their own eggs from their place of residence or at farmers' markets.

Bonny Kavalov of Nature’s Den had been providing local egg sales and was one of two shops in Rossland affected by the shut down.

“It’s not really a big deal as far as loss of business for us. It was a service we provided for our customers. There are a lot of people in Rossland who are very health-conscious. The inspector swooped in a month ago and shut us down.”

David Ferraro of Ferraro Foods was unaware of the recent shut down of ungraded egg sales in Rossland and noted that he is licensed to re-sell graded eggs and has the proper regulations in place to do so. Currently Ferraro Foods, a company that tries to purchase as much locally-grown food as they can, gets their eggs from “The Pickle Patch” in Creston. That Creston location is one of just two licensed egg grading stations in the area, the other being in Rock Creek.

It was noted in discussions with the Food Inspection agency that there is a real potential in this area for someone to start up a new business running a grading station in Rossland that would allow local egg producers to sell through local stores.

Until an egg grading station is located nearby, however, and until the affected shops have proper licensing, Rosslanders will have to get their local farm fresh eggs staight from the producer or at the farmers' market.

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