A Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia tied to a deadly food poisoning outbreak repeatedly violated federal regulations, including instances of mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment, newly released records show. Government inspectors logged 69 instances of “noncompliance” with federal rules in the past year, including several in recent weeks, according to through federal Freedom of Information Act requests. Inspections at the plant have been suspended and it will remain closed “until the establishment is able to demonstrate it can produce safe product,” U.
S. Agriculture Department officials said in a statement Thursday. Boar’s Head officials halted production at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant in late July.
The plant has been linked to the deaths of and hospitalizations of about 50 others in 18 states. All were sickened with listeria after eating Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc.
deli meats. The company recalled more than of products last month after tests confirmed that listeria bacteria in Boar’s Head products were making people sick. Between Aug.
1, 2023, and Aug. 2, 2024, inspectors found “heavy discolored meat buildup” and “meat overspray on walls and large pieces of meat on the floor.” They also documented flies “going in and out” of pickle vats and “black patches of mold” on a ceiling.
One inspector detailed blood puddled on the floor and “a rancid smell in the cooler.” Pl.
