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• Posted September 13, 2024

Boar's Head Will Close Virginia Plant Linked to Listeria-Tainted Deli Meats

Boar's Head announced Friday that its Jarratt, Va. deli meat manufacturing plant, found to be the source of a deadly outbreak of listeria infections, will be closed indefinitely.

Boar's Head added that it also believes it has located the source of contamination.

"Our investigation has identified the root cause of the contamination as a specific production process that only existed at the Jarratt facility and was used only for liverwurst. With this discovery, we have decided to permanently discontinue liverwurst," the company said in a statement released Friday.

As of Aug. 28, the death toll from listeria linked to tainted Boar's Head deli meats had risen to nine, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update.

Deaths have now occurred in Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Fifty-seven people have been hospitalized with severe listeria illness tied to the outbreak.

It's now the largest listeria outbreak reported in the United States since one linked to tainted cantaloupes in 2011, the CDC noted.

The expanded recall now includes 71 products made between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names.

Some of the suspect product could still be in family refrigerators, since some of the products had sell dates stretching into October.

"Everyone should check their homes for any remaining recalled Boar’s Head products since they can have long a shelf-life," the CDC said. "Look for 'EST. 12612' or 'P-12612' inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels."

The closure of the Jarratt plant comes after numerous citations from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service over the past two years.

On July 30, the recall of Boars Head deli meats broadened to include an additional 7 million pounds of products, because they may also have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

In a letter from FSIS to Boars Head dated July 31, the agency said it was ordering the suspension of operations at the Jarratt plant due to repeat failures by the company "to maintain sanitary conditions."

"Product may have been prepared, packed or held under unsanitary conditions, whereby product may have become contaminated with filth or whereby product may have been rendered injurious to health," the FSIS letter states.

According to CBS News, records released by FSIS showed 69 instances of "noncompliance" noted by the agency at the Jarratt plant over the past year.

Mold and mildew were found at sinks used by plant employees to wash their hands, on the outside of steel vats, and in holding coolers between the site's smokehouses.

In other spots around the plant, pooling or leaking water was seen, including one puddle with "a green algal growth" and condensation found to be "dripping over product being held," CBS News reported.

Beyond that, in February FSIS inspectors noted "ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor" and a "rancid smell" in a cooler used at the plant.

Insect infestations -- flies, "gnat-like insects" and "ants traveling down the wall," a beetle and a cockroach -- were all observed by inspectors at the Jarratt plant in June.

In its Friday statement, Boar's Head said that, "in response to the inspection records and noncompliance reports at the Jarratt plant, we will not make excuses."

"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 said. "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 it plans to take steps to better ensure product quality and safety. These include hiring a Chief Food Safety & Quality Assurance Officer (CFSO) who will report directly to the Boar's Head president;  appointing a "Food Safety Council” made up of independent industry-leading food safety experts; and creating a companywide food safety and quality assurance program.

According to the CDC, "Listeria is especially harmful to people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older or with weakened immune systems," the agency said in a news release. "[The] CDC always recommends people at higher risk for listeriosis avoid eating meats sliced at the deli or heat them to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot before eating."

Besides the liverwurst products, some of the other Boar's Head meats that have been included in the recall include certain lots of Virginia Ham/Old Fashioned Ham, Italian Cappy Style Ham, various types of bologna and beef salami, among others.

If consumers find they have any of the recalled products in their fridges, they should discard them or return them to the place of purchase.

"Consumers who have purchased these products are also urged to clean refrigerators thoroughly to prevent the risk of cross-contamination," FSIS added.

Deli owners who find they have the products "should clean and sanitize all food and non-food surfaces and discard any open meats and cheeses in the deli," the agency added.

Listeria bacteria can cause listeriosis, the third-leading cause of death from food-borne illness in the United States. Symptoms typically include a fever, muscle aches and fatigue. Infection may also cause a headache, a stiff neck, confusion or seizures. Pregnant women may experience pregnancy loss or premature birth.

More information

Find out more about listeriosis at the CDC.

SOURCE: Boar's Head, announcement, Sept. 13, 2024; USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, letter, July 31, 2024; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, Aug. 29 and Aug. 8, 2024 ; U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), news release, July 30, 2024; CBS News