Foster Farms, the Livingston, Calif., poultry producer suspected by the USDA as the source of a salmonella outbreak this month, is leaning on a San Francisco PR firm for support.

chickenThe company is working to win back customers after the USDA accepted its plan to address food safety violations and allowed Foster to keep its products on shelves and three plants open.

Amid the government shutdown last week, the USDA released a public health alert on Oct. 7 about salmonella contamination in raw chicken processed at the Foster facilities. An estimated 300 people fell ill during the outbreak.

San Francisco-based Fineman PR is Foster Farms' longtime PR firm and helping the company manage the PR fallout from the crisis. Agency president Michael Fineman and VP Lorna Bush rep Foster Farms.

Food safety officials have raised eyebrows – and drawn some high-profile media criticism – for not issuing a recall. California public health director Ron Chapman said the chicken is safe for consumption with proper handling and cooking.

Foster Farms president and CEO Ron Foster expressed "regret" for any illness borne from its products in a statement Oct. 10. "We have worked relentlessly to address these issues and will continue to do so as we work to regain consumer trust and confidence in the Foster Farms brand," he said.