Foster Farms says its plant in Livingston, CA that was closed January 8 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for cockroach infestation was cleared by the USDA to reopen January 11, but on January 12 the company announced it was voluntarily closing the plant to “further expand its USDA-approved safe manufacturing procedures and monitoring systems.” Last summer, the Livingston operation was one of three Foster Farms plants linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has now sickened more than 400 people. The company has never issued a recall for its chicken products linked to the outbreak.
According to the announcement: “The company is exercising vigilance and choosing to dedicate additional time to ensuring its preventative plan is fully realized with the most effective technology and treatments available. Foster Farms expects this closure to be brief, lasting several days, but does not at this time have a definitive date for resuming operations. No other plants are affected.
Company officials said that no product, packaging or line was in any way affected. Production will be shifted temporarily to the company’s two other Central Valley, California plants.” Maintenance employees will remain on the job at the Livingston plant. The plant’s other employees will be called back when the plant resumes full operations, the company said.
Ron Foster, the company’s president said, “On behalf of my family, I made a commitment to making this right and we are taking every opportunity to ensure the long-term efficacy of our program at this plant. We are confident in the preventative plan and want to take the time to properly implement new measures to our satisfaction. Foster Farms is a company that strives for excellence. We will not resume operations until we are confident that we have the most stringent and effective treatment protocols in place.”
