USDA warns CA poultry producer linked to outbreak

The Agriculture Department is threatening to shut down three California poultry processing facilities linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 278 people across the country.

USDA said Wednesday that Foster Farms, owner of the three facilities, has until tomorrow to tell the department how it will fix the problem. The company was notified Monday.

Sampling by USDA in September showed that raw chicken processed by those facilities included strains of salmonella that were linked to the outbreak. But the company has not recalled any of its products.

The Agriculture Department can halt production by withdrawing meat inspectors. In its letter to Foster Farms, USDA said the evidence suggests "the sanitary conditions in the establishment under which the product is produced could pose a serious ongoing threat to public health."

© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.