On April 30, the Madison County Health Department learned that a couple of greenhouse workers, who have lived in close quarters in hotels for months, had coronavirus-type symptoms. After extensive testing of employees, 125 employees of Green Empire Farms, Oneida, N.Y., (out of a total of 300 employees) have been confirmed with coronavirus, prompting NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo and health officials to reinforce the need for social distancing and other measures. Employees that are tested positive are quarantined. No deaths have been reported among the company’s employees. Green Empire Farms has conducted daily temperature checks, and health screenings enforced mandatory face coverings on-site and provided face shields and resources to clean those shields. Cleaning and sanitation increased, and several social distancing measures began then as well. @ https://www.thepacker.com/article/central-new-york-greenhouse-becomes-coronavirus-hotspot?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWmpJMk56a3dNMkV5WVRaayIsInQiOiJBVE5QRDF4aXZIYTZmVnU5R2VVSDl0Y0NRU2JVeUcxbHljOHFOMDN5UURIZmx2REVoSW14NnYxVGFDNGliWDhIcGVTMEI3WlRLMGJqNmFqbm9PeERzeFdPWEJxXC9OSnpVdjFCbEtWRFEzRGNtNEs5WDVFK3lkTlhTYzdGck4rUHYifQ%3D%3D
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With more than 800 employees getting infected by the coronavirus, the Smithfield plant in Sioux Falls was closed for three weeks. The executive order issued by President Trump requires meatpacking plants across the country to reopen their plants in fear of a food supply shortage during the pandemic. To prevent further spreading of the coronavirus, changes have been made to the facility. The changes made the facility compliant with the new regulations issued by CDC, USDA, and OSHA. @ https://amp.argusleader.com/amp/3090458001
Smithfield Foods will resume operations Thursday and partially reopen its Sioux Falls plant in phases\u00a0starting Monday, officials announced.
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The number of coronavirus cases tied to meatpacking plants passed 10,000, according to USA TODAY and Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting tracking. At least 170 plants in 29 states have had one or more workers test positive for the coronavirus. Some of those workers also have infected others, which is included in the count. At least 45 workers have died. As a result, at least 40 meat slaughtering and processing plants closed. As a result of the closures, meat shortages in some parts of the country are seen. President Trump issued an executive order to keep the plants open. At least seven coronavirus-affected meatpacking plants shut their doors since the April 28th executive order. Red meat production has shown some signs of improvement over the past week, with 46,000 more hogs and 10,000 more cattle slaughtered Wednesday than a week earlier. However, weekly production is still down 36% from the same time last year. Wendy’s, the chain restaurant, has altered its menu, and Costco has limited how much meat its customers can buy. @ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/05/06/meatpacking-industry-hits-grim-milestone-10-000-coronavirus-cases/5176342002/
At least 170 meatpacking plants in 29 states have had one or more workers test positive for the coronavirus. At least 45 workers died.
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The USDA/FSIS published a report showing that Israel’s food safety inspection system governing poultry products is comparable to that of the United States. Therefore Israel can export products that are safe, wholesome, unadulterated, and correctly labeled and packaged (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/71282a01-258a-47f3-a5bc-36b495802c4d/Israel-2019-FAR.pdf?MOD=AJPERES). Israel exports ready-to-eat fully cooked and not shelf-stable poultry products to the United States. And those exports may continue, according to a report by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. @ https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2020/05/israels-food-safety-inspections-found-equivalent-to-usa-for-poultry-exports/
Israel exports ready-to-eat fully cooked and not shelf-stable poultry products to the United States. And those exports may continue, according to a report