After 600 people were left sick, Foster Farms has issued a recall for its chicken on July 3. Congress is also getting involved in the matter after two members are calling on federal agriculture officials to shut down all Foster Farms poultry plants until the salmonella outbreak has been resolved.
The recall was announced late July 3 by U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service officials. The next day, July 4, a federal holiday, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated the case count to reflect that at least 621 people in 29 states and Puerto Rico have been sickened by Salmonella Heidelberg tied to Foster Farms chicken since March 2013.
The chicken producer stated that the products have "use or freeze by" dates that begin on March 21 and end on March 29, and that the chicken pieces have been distributed to Hawaii, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Alaska. The recall includes chicken drumsticks, chicken tenders, thighs, and livers. Although most of the products are sold with the Foster Farms label, some have labels including: Kroger, Savemart, Valbest, Safeway, FoodMaxx, and Sunland. None of the fresh chicken that is currently in grocery stores is at risk.
California alone has had at least 468 cases since the outbreak began - about 77% of the total.
"Epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback investigations conducted by local, state and federal officials indicate that consumption of Foster Farms brand chicken is the likely source of this outbreak of salmonella Heidelberg infections," the CDC said April 9. "La la la," said Foster Farms.
The move announced Monday by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., comes after the California-based firm voluntarily recalled all chicken parts produced during several days in March.
"Burying news late at night on a holiday weekend may be a time-honored tradition by Washington spin doctors, but it is a shameful way to protect public health," DeLauro and Slaughter said in a statement.
