A recent investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed scores of health violations by meat company Boar’s Head at its Virginia facility, which is at the center of a nationwide recall of their deli meats that have been linked to multiple deaths across more than a dozen states. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) announced 14 more illnesses since its previous update earlier this month, bringing the total up to 57 across 18 states – marking the largest listeriosis outbreak of its kind in the U.S. since 2011, linked to cantaloupe.
The CDC confirmed that nine deaths have now been reported, adding Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and South Carolina to the roster of 17 states with known listeria cases tied directly to the Boar’s Head outbreak. All 57 people have been hospitalized in the latest outbreak, the agency confirmed, adding that six new deaths include one from Florida, one from Tennessee, one from New Mexico, one from New York and two from South Carolina.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (‘USDA’), a Boar’s Head liverwurst sample tested positive for the outbreak strain of listeria monocytogenes last month, at which time the food manufacturer issued a recall of all items produced at its Virginia-based facilities and paused operations. The recall was expanded from its initial notice on July 26, and mow includes approximately 7 million pounds of 71 products produced between May 10, 2024, and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. The items include ready-to-eat meats and poultry products intended for slicing at retail delis, plus some packaged items.
Per the CDC: “Everyone should check their homes for any remaining recalled Boar’s Head products since they can have long a shelf-life. Look for ‘EST. 12612’ or ‘P-12612’ inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels. Some of the products have sell by dates into October 2024.”
In its newly released records, the USDA said that inspectors for the agency detailed dozens of regulatory violations at the plant including black mold, mildew, cobwebs and insects repeatedly found throughout the site. All operations at Boar’s Head’s Jarrat, Va., plant have been suspended, with company officials working to disinfect the facility and retrain its current employees. According to a company spokesperson, no meat products will be sent out “until it meets the highest quality and safety standards.”
Boar’s Head company spokesperson Elizabeth Ward said in a statement: “As a USDA-inspected food producer, the agency has inspectors in our Jarratt, Virginia plant every day and if at any time inspectors identify something that needs to be addressed, our team does so immediately, as was the case with each and every issue raised by USDA in this report.”
The CDC recommends heating deli meats sliced at any deli counter to an internal temperature of 165 degrees or until the meat is steaming hot. Consumers also can protect against listeria by cleaning their refrigerators and any containers or surfaces that might have contacted sliced deli meats.
For the full product list of recalls, check here.
For detailed label information, head here.
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