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Mapping Covid-19 in meat and food processing plants | Food and Environment Reporting Network

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Mapping Covid-19 in meat and food processing plants | Food and Environment Reporting Network

According to data collected by FERN, as of April 24 at 12pm ET, at least 73 meatpacking and processed food plants have confirmed cases of Covid-19, and at least 15 meatpacking plants and three processed food plants are currently closed. At least 3,581 workers are confirmed sick and at least 17 have died.

NPR

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Workers Sue Smithfield Foods, Allege Conditions Put Them At Risk For COVID-19 : NPR

Smithfield Foods, one of the biggest meat producers in the country, is operating its plant in Milan, Mo., "in a manner that contributies" to the spread of the coronavirus, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Kansas City.

 

The suit, brought by a plant worker identified as Jane Doe and by a nonprofit that advocates for plant workers, accuses Smithfield of failing to provide workers with sufficient protective equipment; forcing them to work shoulder to shoulder; giving them insufficient opportunities to wash their hands; discouraging them from taking sick leave; and failing to implement a plan for testing and contact tracing.

Why the World Is Becoming More Allergic to Food

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Why the World Is Becoming More Allergic to Food

The rise in allergies in recent decades has been particularly noticeable in the West. Food allergy now affects about 7% of children in the UK and 9% of those in Australia, for example. Across Europe, 2% of adults have food allergies.

Life-threatening reactions can be prompted even by traces of the trigger foods, meaning patients and families live with fear and anxiety. The dietary restrictions which follow can become a burden to social and family lives.

While we can't say for sure why allergy rates are increasing, researchers around the world are working hard to find ways to combat this phenomenon.