Mold, bugs at listeria-linked Boar's Head meat plant

Boar's Head meat recalled amid listeria outbreak

The problems included insects, "black patches of mold," a "rancid smell in the cooler" and "blood in puddles on the floor"

(Image credit: Lindsey Nicholson / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

By Peter Weber, The Week US

published 30 August 2024

What happened

Government food safety inspectors reported 69 "noncompliances" with federal safety standards at a Boar's Head deli meat plant in Jarratt, Virginia, in the year before it was identified as the source of a listeria outbreak that has left at least nine people dead and dozens hospitalized, U.S. Department of Agriculture records released yesterday show. Boar's Head recalled more than 7 million pounds of pork and other meat products on July 29.

The problems, flagged on 57 separate days between August 2023 and July 27, included insects, "black patches of mold," a "rancid smell in the cooler," mildew, "blood in puddles on the floor," liquids dripping from the ceiling, "heavy discolored meat buildup” and "meat overspray on walls." Boar's Head told CBS News that food safety is the company's "absolute priority" and the Jarratt team immediately addressed "each and every issue raised by USDA in this report."

Food safety experts questioned why Boar's Head didn't clean up the repeated problems and the safety regulators didn't make them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called this the "largest listeriosis outbreak" since 2011, when cantaloupe was the source. About 260 people die from listeria in the U.S. each year.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.