Foster Farms Shuts, Cleans Plant Over Weekend

Foster Farms closed a chicken processing plant in California over the weekend of Dec. 5-6 after about 14% of its workforce tested positive for COVID-19.

The facility, in Fresno County, was deep-cleaned after 193 of its approximately 1,400 employees tested positive, even though none showed symptoms. Previous testing had showed an infection rate of only about 1%, a company representative told the Wall Street Journal. Operations resumed Dec. 7.

Foster Farms had closed another California plant, in Livingston County, in September after eight workers there died of COVID-19. Like many food processors, Foster Farms is taking precautionary measures including plastic dividers, temperature-taking and regular testing.