Boar’s Head is indefinitely shutting down its plant in Jarratt, Virginia, linked to a nationwide listeria outbreak concerning sliced deli meats.
On Sept. 13, Boar's Head Provision Company announced that it is also permanently discontinuing production of its Strassburger Brand Liverwurst, which was made at the Jarratt plant and contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. In addition to recalling the liverwurst, Boar’s Head expanded its recall “to include every item produced at the same facility as our liverwurst.”
The outbreak has been reported in 18 states. At least nine deaths have been reported and 57 people have been hospitalized since the outbreak.
In a recent statement, Boar’s Head said they “regret and deeply apologize for the recent Listeria monocytogenes contamination in our liverwurst product.”
“We understand the gravity of this situation and the profound impact it has had on affected families,” the statement continued.
Boar’s Head said an internal investigation revealed the “root cause” of the listeria contamination was a “production process that only existed at the Jarratt facility and was used only for liverwurst.”
“Given the seriousness of the outbreak, and the fact that it originated at Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this location, which has not been operational since late July 2024,” the company added.
The latest announcement comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found several health violations at the Jarratt plant. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service summed up 69 records of “noncompliances” flagged by inspectors over the past year at the Jarratt plant, according to records obtained by CBS News. On Aug. 29, an FSIS spokesperson told the outlet that the agency was working with the state of Virginia to “ensure the establishment [plant] has an effective system in place to produce safe food for the public.” They added that FSIS has “suspended inspection at the Boar's Head establishment in Jarratt, Virginia, which means that it remains closed until the establishment is able to demonstrate it can produce safe product.”
Records released by the USDA revealed that inspectors faulted Boar's Head several times for mold or mildew building up around the company's facilities in Jarratt. Last month, inspectors found what appeared to be mold and mildew around the hand-washing sinks used by workers preparing ready-to-eat meats, CBS News reported. Mold build-up was also seen outside of steel vats used by the plant and inside holding coolers between the site's smokehouses.
“A black mold like substance was seen throughout the room at the wall/concrete junction. As well as some caulking around brick/metal,” inspectors wrote in a record made in January, adding that some spots were “as large as a quarter.”
The following month, one inspector said they found “ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor” and a “rancid smell” throughout a cooler used at the plant.
Records also detailed the presence of insects in and around deli meats at the plant. The situation was so bad that in one instance, the USDA had to tag more than 980 pounds of ham in a smokehouse hallway to be “retained” for an investigation. Flies were also seen going in and out of “vats of pickle” left in a room.
“Small flying gnat-like insects were observed crawling on the walls and flying around the room. The room's walls had heavy meat buildup,” inspectors wrote in June. Other areas of the plant were also riddled with bugs, including what appeared to be “ants traveling down the wall” along with a beetle and a cockroach, inspectors said.
Boar’s Head said the recent closure will affect “hundreds” of employees. The company said it is appointing a new chief food safety officer and quality assurance officer. It is also establishing a safety council consisting of independent food safety experts, according to the Associated Press. Members include Mindy Brashears, a former food safety chief at the USDA, and Frank Yiannas, a former deputy commissioner for food policy at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“This is a dark moment in our company’s history, but we intend to use this as an opportunity to enhance food safety programs not just for our company, but for the entire industry,” Boar’s Head said.
