It's in Livingston in the Central Valley. There's no word on when the plant will reopen. Foster Farms says no products are affected.
The company says it was notified by the Department of Agriculture of four similar incidents since September.
In a statement released on Wednesday the company said, "Foster Farms maintains an ongoing pest control program. A single incident is not acceptable, and we are committed to a zero tolerance policy."
Foster Farms released the following full statement late Wednesday night. In the statement, they said, "This morning, Foster Farms temporarily stopped operations at its Livingston, Calif., fresh chicken production facility to allow for enhanced sanitizing to take place. The plant treatment took place this afternoon and the company expects to fully resume operation once approved for inspection by FSIS. Food safety is Foster Farms' highest priority and the company took action immediately upon learning of any concern. This is an isolated incident; no other company plants are affected. Today's treatment is expected to fully resolve this incident.
Foster Farms is working in cooperation with the USDA-FSIS to monitor and further reduce Salmonella levels at all stages of production. A series of new, multi-step processes for salmonella control have been developed by the company with the input of national food safety experts The company is leading a specialized U.S. poultry industry working group dedicated to further reducing Salmonella during the second stage of processing. Foster Farms has formed a Food Safety Advisory Board comprised of leading national food safety experts to validate best practices, evaluate emerging technologies and to help guide the company's food safety systems on an ongoing basis."
