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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

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/

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/

A study conducted by USDA and published in J Food Prot ((2020) 83 (5): 767–778) compared Salmonella Enteritidis levels in eggs held at 65°F versus 45°F for shell eggs and egg products.  The levels of Salmonella Enteritidis in the egg products and the risk of human salmonellosis from consumption of those egg products were assessed. For eggs stored five days at 65°F (following 36 h at 75°F [23.9°C] in the layer house), the mean level of Salmonella Enteritidis contamination is 30-fold higher than for eggs stored at 45°F. These increased levels of contamination lead to a 47-fold increase in the risk of salmonellosis from the consumption of egg products made from these eggs. Assuming that 7% of the liquid egg product supply originates from eggs stored at 65°F versus 45°F, this study estimates an additional burden of 3,562 cases of salmonellosis per year in the United States. The diversion of eggs from broiler production to human consumption under the current storage practices of 65°F (versus 45°F) would present a substantive overall increase in the risk of salmonellosis. The data indicates that an early cooling and low-temperature storage of shell eggs are highly effective in reducing the level of Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs.  @ https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article/83/5/767/430558/Assessment-of-the-Risk-of-Salmonellosis-Linked-to