CDC: Salmonella outbreak tied to Foster Farms appears to be over

A Salmonella outbreak that caused 634 people to become sick in 29 states and in Puerto Rico appears to be over, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported. The agency on July 31 posted on its website that it believes the outbreak is over because the number of reported Salmonella infections has returned to expected levels for this time of year.
The outbreak began in March 1, 2013. It was tied to poultry produced at three Foster Farms facilities in California as a result of epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback investigations conducted by local, state, and federal officials. Two of the plants are located in Livingston, while the other is in Fresno.
Foster Farms responds
While the CDC has reported the Salmonella outbreak to be over, Foster Farms is stressing its commitment to assuring it produces the safest products possible.
“In October 2013, Foster Farms began implementing a $75 million multi-hurdle food safety program to reduce naturally occurring Salmonella at each stage of the production process. The company now leads the industry in reducing incidence levels of Salmonella in raw poultry parts companywide to less than five percent. Foster Farms is actively sharing its learnings with other producers in the food industry to improve Salmonella controls industrywide for the benefit of U.S. consumers,” the company stated.
“Foster Farms products in grocery stores today have been produced under the most stringent processes and are inspected and approved as safe daily by the USDA. All Foster Farms products, as with all raw poultry products, are safe to consume when properly handled and fully cooked.”