Outbreak reported at McComb food plant

Health authorities are investigating two separate COVID-19 outbreaks at Ohio food plants, including Hearthside Food Solutions in McComb. The Ohio Capital Journal cited a Tuesday morning health alert regarding the Hancock County food plant that manufactures brand-name cookies and crackers. Hancock Public Health declined to provide the Ohio Capital Journal any information regarding the scale and timing of the outbreak. “We are currently working with the company to prevent further spread in the community,” Chad Masters, director of health promotion and planning for HCPH, told the news outlet. The Clark County Combined Health District has identified 20 cases of COVID-19 associated with Dole Food Company’s Springfield salad plant, a department spokeswoman told the Ohio Capital Journal Tuesday. Of the 20, 12 are Dole employees and eight are contacts of employees. The first case was detected on April 22. Nationally, the food industry has proven especially vulnerable to the virus’s spread, according to a database from the Food and Environment Reporting Network, updated May 19. At least 16,485 workers (14,839 meatpackers, 1,074 food processors and 572 farmers) have tested positive. At least 66 have died.