String Of Food Processing Plants Have Been Set Ablaze

Plane Crashes Near General Mills Food Plant Amid Outbreak Of Fires In Food Processing Facilities Across The Nation

Alicia Powe 

A small plane killed two people as it crashed near a General Mills plant in Georgia on Thursday night.

The plane reportedly exploded on impact and came close to demolishing the cereal manufacturer’s facility.

“Obviously this was a devastating crash and there are no survivors,” Covington police Capt. Ken Malcolm told the press following the collision. “We are working on a lead to determine who the victims were in the crash.”

The crash near the General Mills plant comes after a string of food processing plants have been set ablaze across the United States over the past six months amid soaring food prices and historic inflation.

On  August 11, Tyson Foods Inc TSN.N meat-processing plant in Kansas caught fire causing significant damage. The plant was subsequently indefinitely shut down despite providing approximately 6 percent of the US supply chain’s beef. Analysts warned the closure of the facility would catastrophically impact market prices nationwide.

Days later, on August 23, Patak Meat Products, a meat processor in Cobb County, Georgia was set ablaze. The temporary closure of the facility, a family-owned business had minimal impact on the national food supply chain.

On Sept 13, a third food plant was set on fire. JBS beef production plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, which processes 5 percent of the nation’s beef, was reportedly aflame for nearly 15 hours. Firefighters resorted to employing aerial devices and three engine companies to isolate the fire.

On February 22, Shearer’s Food Processing Plant in Hermiston, Oregon, which supplies a large portion of the western United States with potato chips, burned down.

A boiler fueled by natural gas allegedly exploded,  setting the plant on fire and injuring several employees.

On March 16, a Walmart facility in Indianapolis, Indiana was set aflame. The Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives bureau’s National Response Team is reportedly investigating the cause and origin of the fire.

On April 11, a fire demolished East Conway Beef & Pork. Just two cows were killed. Firefighters spent 16 hours hosing down the rubble, the Conway Daily Sun reports.

On April 13, a massive fire at the Talyor Farms Processing Facility in Salina, California was ignited, burning down nearly 85 percent of the 225,000 square foot building. The California agriculture company supplies salad kits in grocery stores nationwide.

On April 15, China-owned US pork producer, Smithfield Foods, shut down its operations in South Dakota. the plant Chinese billionaire owner Wan Long, claimed the US facility warranted closure amid the threats presented by COVID-19.

Earlier this week, on April 19, a fire destroyed the headquarters of Azure Standard, the nation’s primary supplier of organic and healthy food. The cause of the fire remains unclear.