USDA's Inspector General has opened an investigation into the agency’s handling of repeated food safety violations at a Boar’s Head plant linked to a deadly listeria outbreak.
The investigation will determine if the agency followed the proper procedures in addressing repeated instances of noncompliance identified by inspectors at Boar’s Head’s Jarratt, Virginia plant, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal's, D-Conn., office. OIG also will examine if the agency has an effective process to identify and address recurring instances of noncompliance reported at state-inspected sites.
Between Aug. 1, 2023, and Aug. 2, 2024, state-based inspectors found 69 violations or instances of noncompliance at the facility, which has since been closed. These included rusted equipment, insects, mold and puddles of blood on the floor.
The facility garnered attention after the company recalled a combined 7.2 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, including about 71 products. Testing found that liverwurst produced at the establishment was linked to listeria, and as a result, all other products made at the facility were recalled out of precaution.
Since the outbreak began in July, 59 illnesses have been reported, all of which led to hospitalizations, and 10 people have died.
Lawmakers have pressed USDA and the Department of Justice to consider bringing criminal charges against Boar’s Head for its role in the outbreak. In a September letter, Blumenthal and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., also urged USDA to strengthen its listeria prevention protocols.
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Blumenthal, who also wrote a letter to USDA OIG suggesting an investigation, welcomed the news and said this query is a “vital first step” toward accountability and further prevention.
“USDA took virtually no action — allowing Boar’s Head to continue business as usual at its chronically unsanitary Virginia plant — despite finding repeated serious violations,” Blumenthal said in a release. “The Virginia plant should have been shut down years ago before people got sick or died from listeria.”
The Boar’s Head facility was inspected by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services through a cooperative inspection program with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Following the outbreak, USDA has said it is taking a “holistic look” at all the company’s establishments across the country and the contributing factors that led to the outbreak. Additionally, the agency is evaluating its state inspection models and what policy changes may be needed to prevent gaps.
FSIS has also indicated that the other facilities may be part of a law enforcement investigation. In response to an Agri-Pulse Freedom of Information Act request, FSIS said it identified 81 pages of records that detail inspection reports and instances of noncompliance at Boar’s Head’s four other processing plants between Jan. 1, 2022, and Sept. 16, 2024. FSIS did not release these records, however, citing exemptions that apply to records compiled for “law enforcement purposes.”
USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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