Leprino Foods Shutters Plant After COVID-19 Cases ID’d

Dairy ingredients manufacturer Leprino Foods has shut down its processing plant in Fort Morgan, CO for five days following the identification of COVID-19 cases at the facility, several area news organizations reported this week. 

During the closure, the company will clean the facility and test all staff members for the novel coronavirus, Kim DeVigil, director of communications for Leprino Foods, told the Denver Post. While she declined to offer details to the newspaper on the number of infected workers at the Fort Morgan plant, the spokesperson said a “high number” of employees have contracted the virus. 

“It is important to note that sanitation and hygiene in our plant environments are robust on a normal basis,” DeVigil said in coverage by CBS Denver. “During the COVID-19 situation, we have further enhanced our sanitation processes and instituted a number of other protocols.”

Leprino Foods said it will start to check workers temperatures before entering the Fort Morgan plant and it also is expanding its PPE requirements. 

The Fort Morgan plant manufactures strong cheese, mozzarella, lactose, and whey protein powders. About 350 people are employed at the site, according to information on the company’s website.

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