A 10th death has been reported in an outbreak of Listeria infections traced to Boar’s Head deli meats. The outbreak has sickened 59 people in 19 states. All of the patients have required hospitalization.
The company recalled more than 7 million pounds of its products in July. Testing has shown that Boar’s Head deli meat was contaminated with the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes that has sickened people. The company has closed its Jarratt, VA, production plant that manufactured the implicated products and has permanently discontinued production of liverwurst nationwide.
Inspection reports dating back to at least 2022 showed multiple problems in the Virginia plant, but the USDA did not shut it down. Inspectors from the USDA listed serious problems in 2022 that could have resulted in strict measures like a pause in production. But the plant continued operating, and some conditions persisted.
Inspectors warned that conditions at the Boar’s Head plant posed an “imminent threat” to public health, citing extensive rust, deli meats exposed to wet ceilings, green mold and holes in the walls. Here are the 2022 – 2024 Inspections: Since the announcement of the closing of the plant, Terrence Boyce, who has nearly two decades of experience as a supervisor at food plants and was hired in 2023 for a newly created position at the Jarratt, VA., plant amid a food safety audit by federal regulators, has spoken out about problems at the plant.
Boyce said he repeatedly told super.
