The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended operations at a Foster Farms poultry plant in California for an alleged infestation of live cockroaches.
According to NBC News, one of the largest Foster Farms plants in California was ordered to shut down poultry processing on Wednesday after health officials found the factory was infested with live cockroaches during various times over the last five months.
The USDA inspectors cited the factory for "egregious insanitary conditions." The insects pose a threat to the public.
According to the Oregonian Newspaper, a letter sent to Foster Farms CEO Ron Foster on Wednesday, reported that health officials found the factory unsanitary on Sept. 14, Nov. 4, Dec. 28 and Jan. 7.
"These recent findings of egregious insanitary conditions related to a cockroach infestation in your facility indicate that your establishment is not being operated and maintained in sanitary condition, or in a manner to ensure that product is not adulterated," the suspension notice said.
According to the suspension notice, roaches were reportedly found near the processing line, with "exposed product" on the slaughterhouse floor. The insects were also found on a plastic tub that reportedly came into contact with chicken.
"Poorly maintained facilities and equipment that are not maintained to prevent entrance of pests, such as cockroaches, rats and flies, can and do harbor food borne pathogens, which can then multiply and be dispersed throughout the food processing environment, increasing the chances of product contamination rendering the product unsafe," the suspension notice continued to state.
According to Foster Farms spokeswoman Karmina Zafiro, the company was first notified of the infestations on Wednesday and "closed the Livingston facility immediately for sanitization and treatment."
NBC News reported that no other Foster Farms facilities has been affected and that the products have "been transferred to the company's other facilities."
"The plant treatment took place this afternoon and the company expects to fully resume operation once approved for inspection by FSIS," Foster Farms said in a statement. "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."
The Livingston facility is one of the three Foster Farms plants in central California being investigated for an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant salmonella. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 416 people in 23 states and Puerto Rico, have reportedly become ill, due to a salmonella outbreak, last Spring.
Cockroaches have been known to carry Salmonella, along with other bacteria. An health official told NBC News that the factory shutdown was not related to the ongoing outbreak. Foster Farms is the nation's sixth largest chicken processor. To ensure food safety customers must cook poultry thoroughly at a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
