Coronavirus spreads among fruit and vegetable packers, worrying U.S. officials

FILE PHOTO: Fresh carrots are shown for sale at a grocery store in Del Mar, California, U.S. June 3, 2020. Picture taken June 3, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO (Reuters) - From apple packing houses in Washington state to farm workers in Florida and a California county known as "the world's salad bowl," outbreaks of the novel coronavirus are emerging at U.S. fruit and vegetable farms and packing plants.

A rising number of sick farm and packing house workers comes after thousands of meat plant employees contracted the virus and could lead to more labor shortages and a fresh wave of disruption to U.S. food production.