Cargill's Springdale, Ark., ground turkey production facility, shut down after a September recall involving potential Salmonella Heidelberg contamination, is being reviewed and refitted with what the company is calling the most advanced testing and monitoring system in the poultry industry.
Cargill is considering a high-pressure process that kills any bacteria on the meat, already used on the company's ground beef products. It may also start vaccinating its turkeys against certain Salmonella strains. Cargill has already taken apart and steam-cleaned all its equipment and added additional bacterial washes to its existing processes. Its Salmonella testing frequency has been increased ten-fold. According to Mike Martin, Cargill's director of communications, Cargill hopes that when the facility opens again, the changes made will set a new standard for meat processing safety.
