Cargill resumes ground turkey production in Arkansas
Cargill has approval from the federal government to resume ground turkey production at its plant in Springdale, Ark.
On Aug. 3, Cargill voluntarily recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak that killed one person in California and sickened at least 76 others, including one in Minnesota.
The recall affected fresh and frozen ground turkey products produced at the company's Springdale, Ark., plant from Feb. 20 through Aug. 2.
A statement on Cargill's website says the company has taken measures to improve quality at the production plant, including disassembling and sanitizing equipment, implementing testing programs, and the addition of two antibacterial measures to those already in place.
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The company also put together an independent panel to closely inspect the production facility, which has produced ground turkey for more than 20 years without a food safety problem, according to Steve Willardsen, who heads up the company's turkey processing division.
"We will continue to look for ways to improve our preventive measures across the supply chain, from animal production to turkey harvest and product manufacturing," he said in the official statement.
Illnesses in the outbreak date back to March and have been reported in 26 states coast to coast.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
