Operations resumed at an Allen Harim Foods poultry processing plant in Harbeson, Del., this weekend, although reasons behind a four-day closure that began last Wednesday remained somewhat unclear.
A spokesman for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) told Meatingplace the agency’s Feb. 12 notice of suspension stemmed from the plant’s failure to comply with unspecified sanitary condition standards. The suspension included removal of FSIS inspectors, which effectively forced the plant to shut down operations, he confirmed. A list of future corrective actions were submitted by the company in time for a Feb. 15 resumption of slaughter and processing operations with FSIS inspectors present.
The spokesman declined to outline specifics of the sanitary condition violations at the facility, and Allen Harim officials were unavailable for comment last week or today. The FSIS spokesman said the plant will be subject to 90 days of additional USDA inspections in the wake of the recent unexpected shutdown. Any future issues would be subject to ad hoc action by FSIS inspectors during the three-month period as corrective actions are put into place, he said.