Cargill Ground Turkey Salmonella Update
Cargill ground turkey production has resumed in Sprindale, Arkansas, for the first time since a multi-state Salmonella outbreak prompted the shut down of the operation for food safety purposes. The Minnesota-based company made the announcement in a press release this week.
"One of four ground turkey production lines has been reactivated at Springdale and the other three will be reactivated over the coming weeks as part of a multiphase ramp-up of production,'' the company said.
The 2011 Cargill turkey Salmonella outbreak involved a multi-drug resistant strain of Salmonella Heidelberg that sickened at least 136 persons in 34 states. Illinois and Michigan had the most cases and the CDC outbreak investigation spanned from late February through mid-September. National food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen Attorneys is continuing to accept cases for litigation at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by leaving us your contact information. Our firm is one of the very few legal groups in the country practicing extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation and we represent victims in practically every major outbreak..jpg)
Cargill said it took the following actions to make the Arkansas plant safe:
- Complete reassessment and overhaul of the facility’s food safety plan.
- Implementation of several new food safety measures, including more and better bacterial reduction steps throughout the process.
- Creation of a three-phase ground turkey sampling and monitoring program which is the most rigorous in the industry.
- Use of high pressure processing to reduce Salmonella.
- Development of an enhanced process control monitoring system to ensure all aspects of the company’s Salmonella control program are continuously generating the best possible results.
