A Foster Farms chicken plant in Livingston, Calif., will reopen Saturday after federal inspectors approved a plan to eradicate an infestation of cockroaches, firm officials said late Friday.
The firm's sanitation and treatment measures received the nod from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, whose inspectors closed the plant on Wednesday after detecting the insects for the fifth time in five months.
No other plants and no poultry products were affected, company officials said. Production was shifted to other sites during the brief shut-down.
Three of the firm's California sites have been under increased federal scrutiny since October because of salmonella contamination linked to two food poisoning outbreaks that have sickened at least 550 people in the past year.
“Foster Farms was founded on a commitment to excellence, honesty, quality and service," Ron Foster, the firm's president said in a statement. "We have devoted our fullest efforts to resolve this issue. As a company, Foster Farms will emerge stronger and with a continued commitment to quality.”
