RESPONSE TO THE OREGONIAN March 24, 2015 Foster Farms statement issued March 24, 2015 "For more than 75 years, the safety of our products - and the satisfaction of our consumers - has been central to everything we do at Foster Farms. Our current food safety performance record, affirmed by the USDA, is the most accurate, credible assessment of our practices. To focus on an isolated set of facts or events without providing a broader context of long-term company performance, comparative industry performance, the meaning and intent of federal regulations, and the scientific controversy associated with attribution creates an incomplete and potentially misleading representation of Foster Farms as a producer. During the period examined by The Oregonian, the USDA inspected and approved as wholesome all poultry produced at the Kelso plant. In any case of concern, the company has always addressed the situation to the full satisfaction of government agencies. Foster Farms' food safety performance record at its Kelso plant, measured by overall compliance with USDA regulations and effectiveness in controlling Salmonella, is among the best in the industry. In 2014 at the Kelso plant, our USDA compliance record was over 99 percent. Foster Farms measures Salmonella prevalence at two points in production - during the first process with whole birds and during the second process with raw chicken parts. First process testing is required by the USDA. Second process testing is not required by the USDA, and Foster Farms conducts testing weekly. Foster Farms continues to maintain its commitment to a companywide Salmonella prevalence level of less than 5 percent, even while the USDA proposes a parts standard allowing 15.4 percent. This is a fivefold improvement over the 2011-2012 USDA industry benchmark of 25 percent. Food safety is a complex issue that requires continuous improvement and vigilance among all food producers. Over the last two years, Foster Farms has intensified its Salmonella control program and invested $75 million toward food safety advances. Today, the company leads the industry in Salmonella control. Its efforts in controlling Salmonella have been recognized by the USDA, CDC and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), a champion of food safety. Thanks to the more than 30 family farmers who supply us with chicken in the Pacific Northwest and the dedicated employees at our Kelso facility, Foster Farms is producing some of the safest chicken available in the United States." .