USDA threatens to shut down 3 Foster Farms facilities
The USDA is threatening to shut down three Foster Farms facilities in California that have been linked to a widespread Salmonella outbreak that has sickened 278 people to date. CBS News reports that the agency has given Foster Farms until today to tell the department his it will fix the problem. The company was notified on Monday.
Sampling by USDA in September showed that raw chicken processed by those facilities included strains of salmonella that were linked to the outbreak. But the company has not recalled any of its products. In a letter to Foster Farms, USDA said those samples coupled with illnesses suggest that the sanitary conditions at the facility "could pose a serious ongoing threat to public health."