For us, safety extends from our employees, to our customers, to the planet.
COVID-19 represented an unprecedented challenge to our nation, the poultry industry, and Foster Farms. We greatly appreciate the efforts of thousands of our employees who worked tirelessly to make our products available to the millions of families that depend on them.
Throughout the pandemic the health and welfare of our employees has been a foremost priority. Foster Farms has closely followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and that of local health departments, implementing a comprehensive set of workplace protective measures designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Since the beginning of the pandemic Foster Farms has conducted more the 150,000 employee COVID-19 tests, and was among the first companies to make on-site vaccination available. We strongly encourage all Americans to be vaccinated.
COVID-19 touched the very fabric of American lives, and in response Foster Farms donated more than 2 million pounds of poultry products to food banks, benefiting those that the pandemic had financially disadvantaged. The fight against COVID-19 is not yet over, but the end is increasingly on the horizon, and with that end we hope will come the full learning, that makes our country, our industry, and Foster Farms stronger for the future.
For our employees at farms and facilities up and down the West Coast, Foster Farms maintains a comprehensive Food Safety program and is committed to leading the poultry industry. We were even recognized for our leadership in controlling salmonella to among the lowest levels in the industry by US Senator Dianne Feinstein, a champion of improved food safety.
Foster Farms is now working closely with the USDA, CDC, poultry industry, and retailers to share its learnings in controlling salmonella in the interest of creating a safer food-supply system nationwide.
When it comes to food safety, we’re all in this together. So we’ve funded innovative consumer research through the University of California Davis designed to better inform consumers about food safety. Read below for an overview.
Store fresh, raw chicken in its original unopened wrapper at 40°F or less, in the bottom, coldest part of the refrigerator. Always be sure to cook or freeze raw chicken by the “use by” or “freeze by” date on the label.
For longer storage, immediate freezing is recommended. To prevent freezer burn, wrap chicken in foil or other freezer wrap. Separate parts into individual meal-size portions before freezing, so you can later avoid defrosting more chicken than you need.
Across California Foster Farms has planted more than 1,500 almond trees to create shade at its poultry ranches, while contributing to the reduction in greenhouse gasses, through the natural role trees play in carbon capture. Much of the waste material from Foster Farms poultry ranches and processing operations is rendered into by-products that can be used in in cattle and aquaculture feed, as well as pet food. Each year Foster Farms poultry operations produce more than 460,000 tons of manure, almost all of which is converted into compost, soil amendments, conventional and organic fertilizer.
As part of a pilot program Foster Farms is working with local California farmers to grow organic feedstock utilizing our organic fertilizers to provide organic poultry feed ingredients for our Organic poultry operations, creating a cycle of sustainability. More recently Foster Farms begun working with the “Food to Fork” project to develop feedstock from recovered commercial food waste.
Even feathers are finding a use, as Foster Farms has begun working with environmental thought leader “Matter of Trust” and US Air Force to determine if the absorbency of feather material can play a role in containing oil spills. Finding new uses for waste helps to create a cleaner planet.
We conduct a thorough wash-down each day prior to the start of operations to enhance food safety. To reduce this impact, we’ve installed a BNR (Biological Nutrient Reduction) system that saves 150 million gallons of fresh water per year. This is a unique, state-of-the-art system that shows our commitment to addressing important issues like water conservation in California.
We want to keep all our chickens comfortable, but that doesn’t mean sacrificing the planet. We use energy-efficient heat exchangers in our heating and cooling loop for all our barns. We’re also lighted by all LEDs all the time, and we replace old motors with high-efficiency models whenever possible.
At Foster Farms, we have set ourselves a Zero Landfill Goal. We are currently tackling our use of plastic throughout the processing lifecycle. Our NO Styrofoam initiative for all products sold in the San Francisco Bay Area has gained a lot of attention from customers and consumers in other geographical regions as well.
Foster Farms is a member of the How2Recycle program making it easier for our consumers to recycle. On our packaging, we use the How2Recycle label that provides clear guidance on how our packaging should be recycled. At Foster Farms, we are committed to sustainability and reducing packaging waste. More details about the program are available at How2Recyle.info.
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