It has been particularly disastrous time for COVID and meat plants. It was already a dangerous job that has gotten worse. The Trump administration allowed for greater line speeds under the excuse that there was an imminent meat shortage. The shortage didn’t materialize but more injuries sure did. This got meat plant workers right to the top of the most dangerous jobs list. But most people were focused on the lack or workers at restaurants and getting back to normal.
Early in the pandemic, cases emerged by the hundreds in food processing facilities. The outbreaks disrupted the country’s meat supply and led some of the hardest-hit plants to temporarily close. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 16,000 infections and 86 deaths tied to meat and poultry processing. But those numbers are almost certainly an undercount. Only 28 states provided data to the C.D.C., and many states and food processing companies have refused to provide case totals. Other large outbreaks have emerged on farms, in fruit or vegetable processing facilities and at plants where pet food is made.
 | CASES | LOCATION |
---|---|---|
Smithfield Foods pork processing facility | 1,098 | Sioux Falls, S.D. |
Tyson Foods pork processing facility | 1,031 | Waterloo, Iowa |
Tyson Foods pork processing facility | 900 | Logansport, Ind. |
Tyson Foods beef processing facility | 786 | Dakota City, Neb. |
JBS USA pork production facility | 741 | Worthington, Minn. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 730 | Perry, Iowa |
Seaboard Foods pork processing facility | 654 | Guymon, Okla. |
National Beef processing facility | 647 | Dodge City, Kan. |
Cargill meat processing facility | 594 | Dodge City, Kan. |
Tyson Foods pork processing facility | 591 | Storm Lake, Iowa |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 570 | Wilkesboro, N.C. |
Triumph Foods meat processing facility | 490 | St. Joseph, Mo. |
Quality Pork Processors/Hormel pork processing facility | 455 | Austin, Minn. |
National Beef processing facility | 450 | Liberal, Kan. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 371 | Noel, Mo. |
Tyson Foods Berry Street poultry processing facility | 365 | Springdale, Ark. |
Foster Farms poultry processing facility | 358 | Livingston, Calif. |
JBS USA meat processing facility | 348 | Green Bay, Wis. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 326 | Sherman, Texas |
Perdue Farms meat processing facility | 320 | Cromwell, Ky. |
Indiana Packers Corporation pork processing facility | 301 | Delphi, Ind. |
JBS USA meat processing facility | 295 | Greeley, Colo. |
George’s Poultry processing facility | 290 | Springdale, Ark. |
Dole vegetable packaging facility | 281 | Springfield, Ohio |
George’s Inc. Ozark Mountain Poultry processing facility | 278 | Rogers, Ark. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 277 | Wallula, Wash. |
Pilgrim’s Pride poultry processing facility | 270 | Cold Spring, Minn. |
Tyson Foods poultry processing facility –Elm Street | 267 | Rogers, Ark. |
Long Prairie Packing Co. meat processing facility | 265 | Long Prairie, Minn. |
JBS USA beef processing facility | 264 | Cactus, Texas |
Tyson Foods poultry processing facility | 257 | Temperanceville, Va. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 255 | Cold Spring, Minn. |
Pilgrim’s Pride poultry processing facility | 255 | De Queen, Ark. |
American Foods Group meat processing facility | 241 | Green Bay, Wis. |
OK Foods poultry processing facility | 234 | Fort Smith, Ark. |
JBS USA meat processing facility | 230 | Grand Island, Neb. |
Pilgrim’s Pride poultry processing facility | 226 | Live Oak, Fla. |
Tyson Foods beef and pork processing facility | 224 | Council Bluffs, Iowa |
Cargill poultry processing facility | 224 | Springdale, Ark. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 221 | Columbus Junction, Iowa |
Tyson Foods poultry processing facility | 215 | Van Buren, Ark. |
Tyson Foods poultry processing facility | 213 | Clarksville, Ark. |
Tyson Foods pork processing facility | 212 | Madison, Neb. |
Wayne Farms poultry processing facility | 198 | Danville, Ark. |
Lamb Weston potato processing facility | 189 | Hermiston, Ore. |
Central Valley Meat plant | 187 | Hanford, Calif. |
Pacific Seafood | 187 | Newport, Ore. |
ConAgra frozen food processing facility | 180 | Russellville, Ark. |
Seaboard Triumph Foods pork processing facility | 176 | Sioux City, Iowa |
DemKota Ranch Beef processing facility | 170 | Aberdeen, S.D. |
Butterball poultry processing facility | 156 | Huntsville, Ark. |
Peco Foods poultry processing facility | 147 | Batesville, Ark. |
Steven Roberts Original Desserts | 143 | Aurora, Colo. |
Taylor Farms New England Plant food processing facility | 142 | North Kingstown, R.I. |
Jennie-O turkey processing facility | 139 | Willmar, Minn. |
West Liberty Foods meat processing facility | 136 | West Liberty, Iowa |
Miller Poultry | 135 | Orland, Ind. |
Firestone Pacific Foods fruit processing facility | 132 | Vancouver, Wash. |
Comfrey Farms Prime Pork processing facility | 131 | Windom, Minn. |
Jack Link’s beef jerky plant | 129 | Alpena, S.D. |
Hormel’s Rochelle Foods processing facility | 123 | Rochelle, Ill. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 118 | Emporia, Kan. |
Bottomley Evergreens and Farms | 112 | Sparta, N.C. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 111 | Center, Texas |
Lincoln Premium Poultry | 110 | Fremont, Neb. |
Cargill Meat Solutions processing facility | 109 | Fort Morgan, Colo. |
Townsend Farms | 107 | Fairview, Ore. |
Tyson Foods Olrich Street poultry processing facility | 105 | Rogers, Ark. |
Fieldale Farms Cornelia poultry processing facility | 104 | Cornelia, Ga. |
Dakota Provisions meat processing facility | 104 | Huron, S.D. |
Tyson Foods meat processing facility | 102 | Robards, Ky. |
Smithfield Foods meat processing plant | 101 | Crete, Neb. |
Birds Eye Foods processing plant | 100 | Darien, Wis. |
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