Local grocery store selling pickled quail eggs

11 years ago

My grocery store is part of a locally owned small chain. In addition to their commercially obtained fruits and vegetables, they also contract with a few local farmers and sell a small quantity of local produce, fruit, honey, jams and jellies.

The other day in the produce department I noticed a new rack of what appears to be home canned jams, jellies, chutney, BBQ sauce, etc.

I was surprised to see the selection included several jars of pickled quail eggs. I read the label and could not determine if this was a home canned product or commercially canned product produced for the local company. I know we are not supposed to home preserve pickled eggs for other than short term refrigerator use. It looked home canned to me. I have the feeling these were home preserved, but don't know.

I was going to bring it to the attention of the store manager, but didn't want to say anything unless I was sure of the facts.

The company whose name is on the label is located in a very small town about 1-1/2 hours from here. No address (other than the town name) was listed on the label I looked them up when I got home and they do not have a website and the only references I found on the internet were uninformative (i.e. all I could find out was there was a ranch by that name near that town).

Any opinions on this? Would you speak to the manager and give a caution?

Jill

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Comments (9)

digdirt2
11 years ago
Print out the link below (minus the recipes) and give it to the store manager with the link included. Let him draw his own conclusions.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Home canning pickled eggs
pqtex
Original Author
11 years ago
thanks. That steered me in the right direction. I emailed the store and included the link, as well as a cut-and-past portion of the info. I did some more company research and finally found a website for them, which brought another concern to my mind...their website emphasizes they use "old time recipes." I brought that to the attention of the store as well. I'll keep you posted on the results. This store is known for good customer service and I fully expect to get a personal reply quickly.
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pqtex
Original Author
11 years ago
ummm...I meant to say "cut-and-paste"

:-)

Jill
digdirt2
11 years ago
Just curious if you got any response from them?

Dave
pqtex
Original Author
11 years ago
I've heard nothing from the store at all and I'm very surprised about this. I have always considered them top-notch with customer service. When I checked the rack a couple of days ago, I did notice that the pickled quail eggs in quarts were no longer on the top shelf, but there were pints still on the bottom shelf. I don't know if they sold out the quarts or if the store removed them but missed the ones that were less noticeable. I've done business them for many years and I'm disappointed in them. At the very least, they should have acknowledged my concern. I provided them with my mailing address, phone number and email address. I'll give them another week and follow up with a snail-mailed letter.
PlantsAndYarn
11 years ago
What about calling either the grocery store or the company that made the eggs? Letters (email or snail mail) can be easily ignored.

I would like to think that if it is made to sell to the public, then they would be made in a way that was safe for consumption.

Not sure what it is like in TX, but here in OH the health dept. checks out these kinds of issues. If you are really concerned, perhaps you could call the health dept. about this product.
calliope
11 years ago
You don't need 'ammunition' talk to the store manager about this issue. Just pick up the phone or speak to him/her when you are in the store and ask them to give you some information on their new product. Come right out and ask about the product's legitimacy since you think it's home-canned. Believe me, no store want's their customers worried about food safety, and they usually bend over backward to put a damper on any question about it. I am also from Ohio and many of our markets carry specialty products now from smaller, local producers. I like that trend, myself. They are as you said, often jarred to look home canned, on purpose because it implies it's as good as home canned. If you are not convinced after talking to the manager, do as the previous poster says and call your health department. In my state, there are products truely home canned, but it requires a license to do it and they're inspected like any other facility.
pqtex
Original Author
11 years ago
I got a reply today from the Vice-President and Director of Produce Operations for the grocery chain. Here is what he said...

"I have spoken with the vendor, (****) who supplies us with the product and they have assured me that this product has been produced in a cannery and it is not home pickled. The product is produced in a sterile condition and is pasteurized. The quail eggs must be refrigerated after the seal is broken. If you have any further concerns or questions please contact me and I will be more than happy to supply you with any other information you request."

Thanks to all who commented on this.

Jill
chervil2
11 years ago
I saw pickled eggs for sale at a farmers market in Vermont. While the bottles, looked attractive and the folks appeared friendly, I decided to pass on by.