Boar’s Head plant linked to listeria outbreak had insects, mold and mildew

Department of Agriculture inspectors have found insects, mold and mildew at a Boar’s Head plant linked to a multistate listeria outbreak and a national recall of potentially contaminated deli meats.

A total of 69 “noncompliance” reports were filed by USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors over the past year at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant, according to agency documents obtained by CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Inspectors found insects – both live and dead – black and green mold, as well as mildew, at the plant in the weeks before Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. recalled more than 200,000 pounds of liverwurst on July 26 due to potential listeria contamination.

Boar’s Head subsequently expanded the recall to include all products made at the plant, representing approximately 7.2 million pounds of deli meats.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigation found that sliced ​​meats in deli sections, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with listeria and making people sick.

The multistate listeriosis outbreak, first reported by the CDC on July 19, has resulted in at least 57 hospitalizations, including eight deaths, in 18 states as of Aug. 28, the CDC says.

The CDC reported five new deaths linked to the outbreak on Wednesday, including the first deaths in New Mexico, South Carolina (2) and Tennessee.

The human toll:His father died of listeria infection linked to boar head meat. He needed to share his story.

“We deeply regret the impact this recall has had on the families affected,” Boar’s Head spokeswoman Elizabeth Ward said in a statement to USA TODAY. “No words can fully express our sympathy and the sincere and deep pain we feel for those who have suffered loss or endured illness.”

Boar’s Head: USDA Non-Compliance Reports

Among the “nonconformities” listed in documents acquired by CBS News from the USDA:

• July 25, 2024: A flying insect was spotted near a rack containing 980 pounds of Tavern ham.
• July 23, 2024: An inspector discovered what “appeared to be black mold” and rust under hand-washing sinks.
• July 17, 2024: Three dead insects were found in the cure cooler and several others, including two alive, in the installation.
• June 10, 2024: “Approximately 15 to 20 flies were observed going in and out of the 4 pickle vats left in the room” (on the “raw” side of the factory). Also found in other parts of the factory were “small, gnat-like flying insects crawling on the walls and flying around the room,” as well as “a regular line of ants… running down the wall-floor junction on the right side of the room,” and 7 ladybugs, 1 beetle-like insect, and 1 cockroach-like insect.
• February 21, 2024: “There was a lot of blood in puddles on the floor” in the raw food receiving cooler. “There was also a rancid odor in the cooler.”

Food safety is Boar’s Head’s “top priority,” Ward said in his statement.

“As a USDA-inspected food producer, the agency has inspectors at our Jarratt, Virginia, plant every day, and if at any time the inspectors identify something that needs to be addressed, our team does so immediately, as has been the case with every issue raised by USDA in this report,” she said.

Boar’s Head is working to disinfect the plant and provide additional training to employees, Ward said, adding that production will not resume until it meets “the highest quality and safety standards.”

Contributor: Mary Walrath-Holdridge.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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