Federal health officials ordered for the temporary closure of a California Foster Farms plant after finding cockroaches inside the facility on five different occasions.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service on Wednesday suspended all activity at the Livingston facility after investigators found cockroaches inside the plant multiple times over the past four months, according to a report by ABC's local station KABC.
FSIS deputy district manager Abdalla Amin told KABC that inspectors even found the pests in a sink for hand-washing. Amin stated these "egregious insanitary conditions" caused the closure, and added that some of the products might have been sullied as a result of the unclean environment.
Foster Farms this week said that its "highest priority" was to keep food hygienic and safe, and agreed to shut down the Livingston facility immediately for "sanitation and treatment."
"No other facilities are affected. No products are affected," the company wrote in a statement obtained by KABC. "Product production has been transferred to the company's other facilities."
This week's closure came three months after investigators found salmonella issues at both the Livingston plant and two other facilities in Fresno, Calif.
At the time, Foster Farms agreed to up security standards set by health officials. No formal recalls were announced, but customers were urged to cook meat completely and handle the chicken with care.
Foster Farms told KABC the plant is slated to get back to business soon.
