More Than 500 Sickened by Chicken

A salmonella outbreak associated with raw chicken has occurred affecting the mid-state.

More than 500 people are reported sickened in 25 states, including Tennessee and Kentucky, and Puerto Rico.

More than 3/4 of the cases are in California. No deaths are reported The outbreak was traced back to two Foster Farms slaughter establishments in July. Since March 3, there are 43 new cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says it typically takes between two to four weeks for a person to report their illness.





The company says in a statement, "Foster Farms is committed to leadership in food safety and producing the safest chicken on the West Coast. Since October 2013, Foster Farms has developed a multiple-hurdle approach to reduce or eliminate Salmonella at each stage of production - from screening breeder flocks before entering the Foster Farms system, to farms where the birds are raised, to the plants where the chicken is processed as a whole bird and when it is cut into parts.

As a result, the company has steadily reduced the prevalence of Salmonella at the parts level toward a goal of less than 10 percent - well below the USDA-measured industry benchmark of 25 percent."