Over the last year, USDA inspectors found mold, a “rancid smell,” rusted equipment and insects at a Boar’s Head facility now associated with a major listeria outbreak that has resulted in nine deaths, according to agency records.
In total, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service found 69 violations, or instances of noncompliance, at the Boar’s Head Jarratt, Virginia, plant, between Aug. 1, 2023 and Aug. 2, 2024, all of which are detailed in records released by the agency to CBS News in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, and independently reviewed by Agri-Pulse.
Boar’s Head initially recalled about 207,528 pounds of product on July 26 after traceback data found its Liverwurst produced at the Virginia plant may be contaminated with listeria bacteria. As a precaution, the company also recalled nine other products made on the same line.
Days later, the company recalled about 7 million pounds of additional ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, including 71 products made between May 10 and July 29 that were distributed nationwide under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brands. This followed testing confirmed a link between the liverwurst and listeria outbreak. All other products made at the facility were recalled out of precaution.
Operations at the Jarratt facility have been paused, Boar's Head said on July 30.
Products made at the Jarratt plant have been linked to an ongoing listeria outbreak, which the Centers for Disease Control has said is the largest since a 2011 listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe, which resulted in 15 deaths.
Since the latest outbreak began in July, 57 illnesses have been reported, all of which have led to hospitalizations, with nine people dying.
It can take up to 10 weeks for some people to have symptoms of listeria. The recalled deli products could still be in some consumers’ refrigerators, as some items have sell-by dates into October.
Boar's Head did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"Food safety is our absolute priority, and the health and well-being of our consumers are paramount," the company wrote in an Aug. 15 message on its website. "We deeply regret the impact this recall has had on affected families. No words can fully express our sympathies and the sincere and deep hurt we feel for those who have suffered losses or endured illness."
CDC is urging consumers and businesses to check their fridges for remaining recalled products, and to clean any surfaces that my have touched the sliced deli meats.
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The FSIS inspection records detail numerous times where inspectors found Boar's Head failed to comply with food safety regulations noncompliance over the past year, with the most recent incident reported on July 27.
On Jan. 9, a “black mold-like substance” was observed in a holding cooler at the “wall/concrete junction” and on some of the caulking around brick and metal. Black mold was later observed during inspections in June and July of this year outside steel vats, flap doors, underneath sinks and elsewhere.
Inspectors also found insects. On June 10, one reported the walls of a “pickle vat pump out room” had meat buildup and pink, orange discoloration with several flies observed going in and out of the vats of pickle left in the room. In another area, several insects were found, including seven ladybugs, one beetle-like insect and a cockroach-like insect.
During a Feb. 21 visit, the inspector found “ample amounts of blood in puddles” on the floor of the raw receiving cooler.
“There was also a rancid smell in the cooler,” the inspector wrote.
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