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Outbreaks of coronavirus have impacted nine industrial facilities in Vernon, including five meatpacking plants, Los Angeles County health officials said Sunday. The largest outbreak occurred at the Smithfield Foods-owned Farmer John plant — producer of the Dodger Dog — where 153 of 1,837 employees tested positive for COVID-19 between March and May. The other eight facilities with outbreaks are 

CLW Foods (five confirmed cases); California Farms Meat (24 confirmed cases); Golden West Food Group (six confirmed cases); Rose & Shore (five confirmed cases); Vie De France Yamazaki (baked goods); Takaokaya USA (green tea); F. Gavina & Sons (coffee);  and Overhill Farms (frozen food). 

Smithfield said it took measures including a series of strict guidelines and protocols that follow or exceeding the guidance issued by the CDC and OSHA. Including boosting its supply of masks and face shields, installed Plexiglas barriers on the production floor and in break areas, and implemented mass temperature scanning systems to screen workers. Employees are offered free testing for the coronavirus and paid quarantine time, and are told not to report to work if they are sick, Smithfield said. Of the 153 Farmer John employees who tested positive, 41 have returned to work, according to LA County health officials. In California, at least 138 employees at Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford tested positive for the virus. That company employs about 900 workers at its two plants; the other is in Vernon. @ https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-24/coronavirus-outbreaks-occur-at-9-industrial-facilities-in-vernon

Farmers North Carolina has started euthanizing 1.5 million chickens because of coronavirus-related slowdowns in the meat processing plants. It is the first time during this pandemic that North Carolina farmers have had to take the drastic step of euthanizing. Currently, about 1/3 of the chickens have already been killed. While euthanizing the chickens is a last resort, but lack of processing capacity created the situation.@ 

The FDA worked with the CDC and state partners to investigate the contamination of romaine lettuce with several strains of E. coli O157:H7 that caused three outbreaks of foodborne illness beginning in September 2019 and ended in January 2020. Together, the outbreaks made 188 people ill. The findings suggest that a potential contributing factor to these outbreaks has been the proximity of cattle to the produce fields. This is especially true when cattle are adjacent to and at higher elevations than produce fields. Therefore, leafy greens growers need to mitigate risks associated with adjacent land uses, especially uphill, including grazing lands and animal operations. Leafy greens growers need to increase traceability to expedite the investigation and prevent illnesses. The FDA efforts to address prevention will include advancing the safety of agricultural water, enhancing inspection, audit and certification programs, and continuing focused sampling assignments.  @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-releases-report-investigation-fall-2019-outbreaks-illnesses-tied-romaine-lettuce?utm_campaign=052120_PR_FDA%20Releases%20Investigation%20Report%20on%20Outbreaks%20Tied%20to%20Romaine%20Lettuce&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

The FDA published on its website that New Hoque and Sons, Inc. of Maspeth, NY recalled Radhuni Curry Powder, contained in 400g plastic bottles because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Radhuni Curry Powder was distributed in New York City, New York, including grocery stores in Jamaica, Jackson Heights, and the Bronx. The product was distributed to grocery stores between 4/17/2020 and 4/21/2020. They were then physically removed from the stores on 5/14/2020.

The product is labeled “Radhuni Curry Powder”. No illnesses have been reported to date. The recall was as the result of a routine sampling program by the FDA, which revealed that the finished products contained Salmonella. The company has ceased the distribution of the contaminated products and has also physically removed the contaminated products from stores.@ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/new-hoque-and-sons-inc-recalls-radhuni-curry-powder-because-possible-health-risk?utm_campaign=New%20Hoque%20and%20Sons%2C%20Inc.%20Recalls%20Radhuni%20Curry%20Powder%20Because%20of%20Possible%20Health%20Risk&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua