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(Minnesota) Outbreak at JBS pork plant triggers another meat industry closure
Source: Washington Post
Outbreak at JBS pork plant triggers another meat industry closure
The Worthington, Minn., facility, which employs more than 2,000 people, is the third JBS plant to suspend operations over covid-19 infections
By Rachel Siegel
April 20, 2020 at 2:59 p.m. EDT
The spread of the novel coronavirus is continuing to force closures at major meat processing facilities, raising alarms about worker safety and further jostling the nation’s meat supply chains.
JBS — the U.S. subsidiary of the world’s largest processor of fresh beef and pork — announced Monday it is indefinitely closing its pork production plant in Worthington, Minn. The facility, which employs more than 2,000 people and processes 20,000 hogs a day, is the third JBS plant to suspend operations following spikes in coronavirus infections. It shut down its Greeley, Colo., beef facility last week and another in Souderton, Pa., which has since reopened.
Local CBS affiliate WCCO, citing the Minnesota Department of Health, reported Saturday that there were 56 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nobles County — and 20 of them worked at the Worthington plant, and another five who were related to the workers. The pork plant will wind down operations in the next two days, JBS said, and continue to pay employees during the closure.
“We don’t make this decision lightly,” said Bob Krebs, president of JBS USA Pork. “We recognize JBS Worthington is critical to local hog producers, the U.S. food supply and the many businesses that support the facility each and every day.”
A growing number of processing facilities that prop up the American meat supply have themselves become outbreak hot spots.
The outlook is even more precarious given that U.S. meat processing is largely handled at a few enormous plants. At the same time, restaurants are drastically cutting orders of more expensive cuts, such as tenderloins and sirloin, that don’t draw supermarket customers.
-snip-
The Worthington, Minn., facility, which employs more than 2,000 people, is the third JBS plant to suspend operations over covid-19 infections
By Rachel Siegel
April 20, 2020 at 2:59 p.m. EDT
The spread of the novel coronavirus is continuing to force closures at major meat processing facilities, raising alarms about worker safety and further jostling the nation’s meat supply chains.
JBS — the U.S. subsidiary of the world’s largest processor of fresh beef and pork — announced Monday it is indefinitely closing its pork production plant in Worthington, Minn. The facility, which employs more than 2,000 people and processes 20,000 hogs a day, is the third JBS plant to suspend operations following spikes in coronavirus infections. It shut down its Greeley, Colo., beef facility last week and another in Souderton, Pa., which has since reopened.
Local CBS affiliate WCCO, citing the Minnesota Department of Health, reported Saturday that there were 56 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nobles County — and 20 of them worked at the Worthington plant, and another five who were related to the workers. The pork plant will wind down operations in the next two days, JBS said, and continue to pay employees during the closure.
“We don’t make this decision lightly,” said Bob Krebs, president of JBS USA Pork. “We recognize JBS Worthington is critical to local hog producers, the U.S. food supply and the many businesses that support the facility each and every day.”
A growing number of processing facilities that prop up the American meat supply have themselves become outbreak hot spots.
The outlook is even more precarious given that U.S. meat processing is largely handled at a few enormous plants. At the same time, restaurants are drastically cutting orders of more expensive cuts, such as tenderloins and sirloin, that don’t draw supermarket customers.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/20/meat-plant-pork-close/