Cockroach Infestation Closes Foster Farms Chicken Plant

—Written by Vanessa Castaneda

A Foster Farms chicken processing plant in California was closed for a second time on Sunday, according to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The facility in Livingston was closed for the first time on Wednesday when USDA safety inspectors found live cockroaches in the plant.  It reopened on Friday only to be closed again on Sunday morning.  

President of Foster Farms Ron Foster issued a statement about the actions the food company would take to resolve the issue. 

“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,” Foster said in a statement. “We are confident in the preventative plan and want to take the time to properly implement new measures to our satisfaction.”

Production was shifted to two processing plants in Fresno, another place with questionable food handling procedures. Both of these chicken-processing facilities were linked to a salmonella outbreak that made more than 400 people sick last year. 

Foster Farms distributes poultry products at Safeway, Costco and other national supermarkets. 


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