October 22, 2013

Foster Farms declares chickens safe for consumption

Foster Farms has declared that its chickens are safe for consumption even as consumer groups call for the withdrawal of affected products following a serious salmonella outbreak.

The company's president, Ron Foster, published a public apology on the company's website saying that he was "sorry for any foodborne illness associated with our fresh chicken". However, he stressed that the company had acted quickly to address the problems in its poultry chain, and claimed that chickens, produced at its three California poultry plants, were safe if cooked properly.

"The USDA and California Department of Public Health confirm that Foster Farms products are as safe as any other poultry product in the US when properly handled and fully cooked. USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors continue to inspect and approve the safety of Foster Farms chickens daily at each of our plants," he said.

His comments came as the Safe Food Coalition (SFC) urged the government to pressurise Foster Farms into issuing an urgent recall of Foster Farm chickens from the three California plants linked to the outbreak.

According to the US government, it cannot demand a recall given the difficulty of linking the outbreak to specific products.

"When public health is threatened by meat or poultry products, FSIS has an obligation to act in a manner that is consistent with the evidence before it. In this case, FSIS did not have the evidence to make a legal case for a recall of products produced by Foster Farms," FSIS explained.

Over 300 people across 20 US states have fallen ill with Salmonella Heidelberg since March 2013. Authorities have raised concern over a high level of antibiotic resistance, which has pushed hospitalisation rates to 42%, from around 20% in a normal outbreak.

Wholesaler Costco issued a recall of private-label rotisserie chicken products produced by Foster Farms last week, prompting shares in major poultry producers, Tyson Foods, Piglrims Pride and Sanderson Farms, to decline.

"Chicken producers take very seriously any illness attributed to the consumption of a poultry product, but passing a law or regulation to fight bacteria will not magically make it go away," said National Chicken Council President, Mike Brown.