DENVER, PA. — A total of six employees have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) at a Campbell Snacks baking plant in Denver, Pa. None of the employees has been on-site in more than two weeks, Campbell Soup Co. said.

Per Campbell Soup's protocols, the employees must remain in quarantine, with pay, for at least 14 days.

“The safety and well-being of our teams and their families remain our top priority,” Campbell Soup said. “In each instance, we promptly notified all co-workers that the employees came in contact with. We then proceeded to notify the rest of their teams and all employees at the facility. In addition to quarantining these six employees, we’ve traced back their contact with co-workers, and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve asked those co-workers to quarantine with pay, for up to 14 days.”

The Denver baking plant, which has nine lines producing crackers and cookies and three lines producing bread and rolls, paused certain operations for a short time on April 7 for a deep cleaning and to give employees an opportunity to process the information about their co-workers’ diagnosis. 

Campbell Soup said it has protocols in place to address the health and safety of its employees against COVID-19, including health assessments, quarantines and enhanced cleaning procedures several times per day, every day. In addition, the company said it conducts health screenings of all employees, including temperature checks, before they enter the facility.

“There is no indication that COVID-19 is a food safety concern or that consumers are at risk of contracting COVID-19 from any food product,” Campbell Soup said. “The CDC and the USDA state that there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 as a foodborne pathogen, and the FDA is not aware of any reports of transmission through food or food packaging.”