USA Today reported that meat production rebounded after the President’s order to near pre-coronavirus levels. However, the number of coronavirus cases tied to meatpacking plants is topping 20,400 infections across 216 plants in 33 states, and 74 people dead. That is despite widespread implementation of protective measures like temperature checks, plastic barriers, and social distancing meant to curb the virus’ spread inside the plants. Tyson Foods, for example, provided face masks to all employees and installing barriers between workers. However, since the announcement, 24 of its plants have reported outbreaks, including two in Iowa that sickened more than 800 workers total. Smithfield Foods installed barriers, adding more hand sanitizing stations and “enhancing cleaning and disinfection” at its facilities. Since then, 11 of its plants have reported outbreaks. Public health agencies face potential litigation if they try to close the plants. But many agreed that state and local health officials retain the authority to close them. Major companies like Smithfield and Tyson have largely improved their workspaces, smaller plants that employ a few dozen workers, and have more limited resources have not. But the industry’s continued inability to prevent the spread of the virus points to the ineffectiveness of those guidelines. The only real way to prevent transmission would require really significantly slowing down and reconfiguring the way these plants operate, spacing out workers in a way that the companies are not willing to do. @ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/06/06/meatpacking-plants-cant-shake-covid-19-cases-despite-trump-order/3137400001/
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The meatpacking industry ramped up production, scaled back closures and tried to return to normal even as outbreaks at plants continue to soar.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a plan to expand its routine verification testing for six Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (non-O157 STEC; O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, or O145) that are adulterants, in addition to the adulterant E. coli O157:H7, to ground beef, bench trim, and raw ground beef components other than raw beef manufacturing trimmings (i.e., head meat, cheek meat, esophagus meat, product from advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems, partially defatted chopped beef and partially defatted beef fatty tissue, low temperature rendered lean finely textured beef, and heart meat) for samples collected at official establishments. Currently, FSIS tests only its beef manufacturing trimmings samples for these six non-O157 STEC and E. coli O157:H7; all other raw beef products are presently tested for E. coli O157:H7 only. FSIS also intends to test for these non-O157 STEC in ground beef samples that it collects at retail stores and inapplicable samples it collects of imported raw beef products. Comments on these changes are requested. @ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/152ef870-fc8e-4ce4-b840-c3a5696afd0e/2010-0023.htm?MOD=AJPERES
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Food safety magazine reported that the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) appointed a new subcommittee that will focus on how land adjacent to leafy greens farms is contributing to foodborne illness outbreaks associated with romaine lettuce. The group will work closely with university and government researchers to meticulously examine past and current studies. The subcommittee also plans to engage with landowners of properties located near leafy greens farms, including cattle and other crops like wine grapes. The Adjacent Lands Subcommittee will be making recommendations as part of an open, collaborative process now underway for improving the safety of leafy greens. This process is being facilitated by Western Growers and is currently considering new standards for water used to grow leafy greens and for soil amendments and other crop inputs. @
https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/news/lgma-forms-adjacent-lands-subcommittee-to-address-romaine-lettuce-contamination/
LGMA’s special subcommittee was formed in direct response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s recent report regarding three romaine lettuce outbreaks that occurred in 2019.
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The company produces ready-to-eat (RTE) sandwiches, salads, and bakery items. visiting the facility in January of 2020 the FDA investigators found serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation. After receiving a reply letter from the FDA on February 19, the FDA issued a warning letter relating to sanitation control procedures and GMP violations. The company’s sanitation control procedures did not ensure the cleanliness of food-contact surfaces and prevention of cross-contamination. They did not implement written sanitation control verification procedures for environmental monitoring and did not do environmental monitoring as they had written in their plan. FDA found cockroaches, flying insects in the facility. Quality Dairy cleaning procedures were found to be inadequate and sanitation controls were not reviewed within 7 days. @ https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/quality-dairy-company-604285-05132020
CGMP/Food/Prepared, Packed or Held Under Insanitary Conditions/Adulterated