Fears are mounting that the coronavirus pandemic could disrupt the American food supply chain, after outbreaks interrupted work at meat processing plants and truckers expressed fears of traveling to hotspots.

The U.S. food supply chain is generally considered robust and well protected, with America producing enough domestically to feed its entire population. But disruptions in processing and distribution could cause temporary shortages of some items, or higher prices on grocery store shelves.

Tyson Foods was forced to suspend operations at a pork processing plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa this week, after more than 24 employees there tested positive for coronavirus.

'In an effort to minimize the impact on our overall production, we're diverting the livestock supply originally scheduled for delivery to Columbus Junction to some of our other pork plants in the region,' Tyson CEO Noel White said in a statement on Monday.

Employees work at a Smithfield Foods pork processing facility in Milan, Missouri in a 2017 file photo. Food processors are trying to maintain production during the pandemic

Tyson Foods was forced to suspend operations at this pork processing plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa this week, after more than 24 employees there tested positive for coronavirus

On Thursday, Smithfield Foods announced that it will close its processing plant near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after state officials said more than 80 employees there had tested positive for coronavirus.

The company will suspend operations in a large section of the plant on Saturday and completely shutter on Easter Sunday and Monday, the company said. During the shutdown, the plant will be thoroughly sanitized, and more physical barriers will be erected around workstations to isolate employees.

The plant employs some 3,700 workers, who will be paid for any scheduled shifts during the shutdown, and supplies Americans with nearly 130 million servings of food per week, or about 18 million servings per day.

'Smithfield Foods is taking the utmost precautions and actions to ensure the health and wellbeing of our employees – with an even increased emphasis on our critical role in the ongoing supply of food to American families,' said Smithfield CEO Kenneth M. Sullivan in a statement.

'As an industry and as a nation, it is imperative that we continue to operate our feed mills, farms, plants and distribution centers,' he continued. 'Not operating is not an option. People need to eat.'

At this Smithfield Foods plant near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, more than 80 employees have tested positive for coronavirus, and the plant will shut down for three days

Meanwhile, JBS USA, another major meat processor, has stopped operations at its beef plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania due to sick employees there. The plant plans to reopen April 16, after two weeks.

Cargill has also paused operations at its protein plant in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where 900 people typically work.

Both Tyson and Smithfield say they are taking extra precautions with their workforce, and both companies are paying workers bonuses of $500 for their efforts during the crisis.

'We have instituted a series of stringent and detailed protocols that follow the strict guidance of the CDC to effectively manage any potential COVID-19 cases in our operations,' Smithfield said in a statement on their website.

Tyson's CEO said: 'We're working hard to protect our team members during this ever-changing situation, while also ensuring we continue fulfilling our critical role of helping feed people across the country.'

Workers are seen at a Smithfield pork processing facility in Milan, Missouri in 2017. The company is stepping up precautions after an outbreak at a plant in South Dakota

Both companies have implemented temperature scanning for workers entering their facilities, and they have stepped up sanitizing and physical distancing of workers at their plants.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with the transmission of coronavirus.

Scientists also say that temperatures above 135 Fahrenheit quickly kill coronavirus, meaning any meat cooked according to instructions should be free of the pathogen.

As farmers and food processors work to keep food available, the pandemic is also raising concerns about the distribution system, which relies heavily on truckers.

Truck driver Josh Rickards, who owns a fleet of three tractor-trailers, told Yahoo Finance that the drivers who lease under his authority can't be convinced to take a job that requires them to travel to New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak.

'I mean, no one really wants to go there. Everyone's afraid of going there and being in a position where they actually contract the virus themselves,' Rickards said.

FDR Drive is nearly empty during morning rush hour on March 24. Truckers say they are afraid to travel to the outbreak epicenter of New York City

Shelves are seen empty late last month at the Hannaford supermarket in Scarborough, Maine. Fears are mounting that the food supply chain could buckle during the pandemic

In addition to the trucking problems, a sharp decline in air traffic has cut deeply into capacity to move fresh produce long distances.

Andres Ocampo, chief executive of HLB Specialties LLC, a fruit importer based in Miami, Florida, relied on commercial flights to shift papayas and other produce from Brazil. Now he is buying more from Mexico and Guatemala, where goods can still be shipped by trucks.

Ocampo says volumes of the company's imports from Brazil have dropped by 80 percent.

'In Europe, it's even worse, because they don't have a Mexico-like source for papayas,' he told Reuters.

U.S. and Canadian exporters are also grappling with a shortage of refrigerated containers to supply goods, as voyages of container ships from China to the West Coast are down by a quarter due to reduced demand because of lockdowns.

'The containers are tough to get right now,' said Michael Dykes, president of the International Dairy Foods Association, a U.S.-based trade group. 'If a company needs five containers, they'll find they can get one.'