Claire Thompson
Case Farms is a chicken processing plant in Morganton, North Carolina, that has been in the news for its plans to expand its packaging production. The company has proposed building a new industrial building, expanding its parking lot, and putting a breast packaging location on its property. In addition to these physical expansions, Case Farms is also seeking to enhance its waste treatment capabilities by working closely with the city's wastewater staff. While the plant has met USDA standards, there have been concerns about the presence of salmonella in its chicken parts, with high-risk strains detected in less than 15.4% of samples. The company has also faced allegations of exploitation and abuse of immigrant workers, including minors, in its Morganton facility.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Case Farms |
| Location | Morganton, North Carolina |
| Mailing Address | P.O. Box 308 Morganton, North Carolina 28680 |
| Chicken Type | All chickens are farm-raised, cage-free, and fed a diet that is predominantly corn and soy-based with no added hormones |
| Salmonella Status | Met USDA standards for chicken parts and whole chicken |
| Expansion Plans | Yes, plans to expand parking lot, build a breast packaging location, and construct a new industrial building |
| Employee Count | More than 3000 across four plants |
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What You'll Learn
Case Farms chicken processing plant in Morganton
Case Farms is a chicken processing plant in Morganton, North Carolina, that employs over three thousand people. The plant has been associated with exploitation and abuse of immigrant workers, including minors, from Guatemala and other countries. In 2017, a New Yorker article reported on the story of Osiel López Pérez, a Guatemalan immigrant who worked at the Morganton plant when he was just 17 years old. Osiel was employed to clean the plant's machinery with pressurised hoses, washing away grease, meat, and blood.
The Morganton plant has also faced scrutiny for the occurrence of salmonella in its chicken products. While high-risk salmonella was not found on whole chickens, it was present in chicken parts. The plant met the USDA standard for chicken parts as salmonella was found in less than 15.4% of samples. However, the presence of high-risk strains, such as Infantis, which caused at least 1,852 infections in the US from 2011 to 2020, is concerning.
In recent years, Case Farms has been planning to expand its Morganton facility. The company intends to purchase the ABC Store location at 250 W. Fleming Drive for $600,000 to expand its parking lot. They also plan to build a new industrial building, a breast packaging location, and expand their waste treatment capabilities. The expansion will involve adding an air processing unit to the back of the building, requiring adjustments to the zoning rules.
Case Farms prioritises the health and welfare of its chickens, raising them cage-free and on a corn and soy-based diet with no added hormones. The company strives for consistent quality, a safer workplace, and operational excellence to become the most profitable company in the US chicken industry.
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Plans to expand and buy ABC building
Case Farms, a chicken processing plant in Morganton, North Carolina, has plans to expand its packaging production. The company intends to build a new industrial building east of its existing loading dock and expand its parking lot. To facilitate this expansion, Case Farms is in the process of purchasing the ABC Store location at 250 W. Fleming Drive in Morganton, which sits adjacent to their large parking lot. The company has been granted permission to reduce the width of the required buffer between their business and surrounding properties, allowing them to utilise more space for their operations.
Case Farms has applied for and received approval for three zoning changes from the city of Morganton's Board of Adjustment. These zoning changes are necessary to accommodate the construction of a new breast packaging location on the south portion of its property. The company has also expressed its intention to install an air processing unit, which is critical to its processing room. This unit will be mounted on a platform above the roof, requiring a 5-foot height change.
The expansion plans also include a waste treatment expansion, which will positively impact the city's ability to treat Case Farms' waste. Case Farms has been working closely with the city's electric, development, design, and wastewater staff to ensure that their expansion plans are executed smoothly.
The purchase of the ABC building is a key component of Case Farms' expansion strategy, as it will provide the necessary space for their growing operations. The company is expected to pay $600,000 for the property and will demolish the existing building to make way for expanded parking, buffer landscaping, and fencing.
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Salmonella found in chicken parts
Salmonella is a common foodborne pathogen that has been found to contaminate chicken parts. Chicken meat has often been reported as a site of Salmonella contamination, with the bacteria attaching firmly to chicken skin. The presence of Salmonella in chicken parts with skin is significantly higher than in those without skin.
The Case Farms chicken processing plant in Morganton, North Carolina, has been found to have Salmonella in its chicken parts. While no high-risk Salmonella was detected on the whole chicken at this plant, high-risk Salmonella strains were found on chicken parts as often as in other poultry plants. The specific serotypes found at this plant include Infantis, a high-risk type, and Kentucky, a low-risk type.
The likelihood of illness from Salmonella in chicken depends on various factors, such as the cooking and handling of the poultry, the individual's immune system, and the quantity and type of Salmonella present. The CDC advises that proper cooking and handling techniques, such as avoiding cross-contamination and cooking poultry to 165°F, can help ensure the meat is safe to eat even if contaminated with Salmonella.
To address the issue of Salmonella in chicken parts, researchers suggest that regulation efforts should focus on detecting and preventing high-risk contamination. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering changes to how they regulate Salmonella based on level and serotype. Additionally, Kim and Stasiewicz propose approaches such as statistical processing control, test-and-hold procedures, and vaccinating chickens against high-virulence serotypes.
The Case Farms processing plant in Morganton is planning to expand its operations. The company intends to build a new industrial building, expand its packaging production, and increase its parking lot. These expansion plans have been approved by the city of Morganton, with necessary zoning changes implemented to accommodate the growth.
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Exploitation and abuse of workers
The name of the chicken factory in Morganton is Case Farms. The company has a chicken processing plant in the city and has plans to expand its packaging production.
The same article also reported on the poor treatment of workers at Case Farms' chicken plant in Canton, North Carolina. Workers at this plant were routinely told to ignore doctors' notes about work restrictions when they had been injured on the job. In one instance, a worker named González brought a note from a medical clinic prescribing "light work or no work" for a week, but she was still made to return to the factory. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) later found that Case Farms often made workers wait months to see a doctor, disregarded work restrictions, and fired injured workers who couldn't perform their jobs.
In addition to these cases, Human Rights Watch has also reported on abuses against workers in the meat and poultry industry in the United States. Their research found that many workers face unsafe work conditions, with a real danger of serious injury or death. They also discovered that companies frequently deny workers' compensation to employees injured on the job, intimidate and fire workers who try to organize unions, and exploit workers' immigrant status to keep them from speaking out about abuses. For example, workers at Smithfield Foods Inc. reported that the company had armed police walking around the plant to intimidate them, especially targeting workers from Central America.
The exploitation and abuse of workers in chicken factories have severe consequences for the workers' health, safety, and well-being. These issues are often exacerbated by the vulnerable status of many workers, including undocumented immigrants who may be afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation or deportation.
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Case Farms' quality commitment to chicken welfare
Case Farms is a chicken processing plant in Morganton, North Carolina, that has been in the news for its plans to expand its packaging production. The company has applied for and received approval for three zoning changes from the city of Morganton's Board of Adjustment to facilitate this expansion.
The company's four plants, including Morganton, employ over three thousand people and process an estimated hundred and eighty thousand chickens daily. The chickens are slaughtered, drained of blood, stripped of feathers, and cut into pieces. The plant's stainless-steel machines are then cleaned to remove leftover grease, meat, and blood.
While Case Farms has been accused of exploiting and abusing its immigrant workers, with some employees being underage, the company has also achieved milestones in workplace safety. For example, its Goldsboro facility reached one million man-hours without a lost-time accident, and its Winesburg Complex attained three million man-hours without a lost-time accident.
In terms of food safety, Case Farms' chicken products have been found to meet the USDA standards for both chicken parts and whole chickens. While salmonella was detected in some samples, it was present in less than 15.4% of chicken parts and less than 9.8% of whole chicken samples, which is within the acceptable range. The company's commitment to chicken welfare extends beyond just the birds to include the well-being of its human consumers as well.
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Frequently asked questions
The name of the chicken factory in Morganton is Case Farms.
The Case Farms chicken factory in Morganton is located in North Carolina. The postal address is P.O. Box 308 Morganton, North Carolina 28680.
Working conditions at the Case Farms chicken factory in Morganton have been described as involving exploitation and abuse of immigrant workers. Workers have reported being made to stand for eight hours a day and perform repetitive tasks, causing pain and swelling.
The Case Farms chicken factory in Morganton plans to expand its packaging production. This includes building a new industrial building for breast packaging, expanding its parking lot, and relocating its parking. The expansion will also involve a waste treatment upgrade.
