Boar\u2019s Head will close the Virginia plant that produced deli meat tied to a deadly listeria outbreak, the company said on Friday. <\/p>\n
The move is part of several changes made following what it called a \u201cdark moment in our company\u2019s history.\u201d Boar\u2019s Head said it will permanently discontinue sales of liverwurst after an investigation found its production process was the root cause of the listeria contamination. It will also implement a companywide food safety program, appoint a new food safety officer and bring on food safety council made up of independent industry experts, including former officials from the US Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe remain steadfast in our commitment to our customers and to the safety and quality of our products,\u201d the company said in a letter to consumers. \u201cWe are determined to learn from this experience and emerge stronger.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Boar\u2019s Head plant in Jarratt, Virginia, has not been operational since July, when the liverwurst recall was first announced and then expanded to include all products made at the plant. <\/p>\n
US Department of Agriculture\u2019s Food Safety Inspection Service reports from the facility have described insects, mold, \u201cblood in puddles on the floor\u201d and a \u201crancid smell in the cooler\u201d at various points since 2022. Another report from 2022 cited \u201cmajor deficiencies\u201d with the plant\u2019s physical conditions \u2014 rusty equipment, peeling and flaking paint, loose caulk, holes in walls, product residue on surfaces and dripping condensation \u2014 that posed an \u201cimminent threat.\u201d The reports said plant management was notified and directed to take corrective action. <\/p>\n
But a USDA suspension notice for the Virginia facility shared by Boar\u2019s Head on Friday describes \u201cinadequate\u201d controls and sanitation that allowed equipment and employees to move throughout the facility, potentially spreading bacteria. <\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the seriousness of the outbreak, and the fact that it originated at Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this location, which has not been operational since late July 2024,\u201d the company said in the letter. \u201cIt pains us to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees. We do not take lightly our responsibility as one of the area\u2019s largest employers. But, under these circumstances, we feel that a plant closure is the most prudent course.\u201d <\/p>\n
FSIS said this week that its investigation would include a \u201cholistic look at Boar\u2019s Head establishments across the country\u201d and consideration of lessons that could be \u201cmore broadly applied to ready-to-eat meat and poultry facilities.\u201d <\/p>\n
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 57 people have been hospitalized in 18 states in connection with the Boar\u2019s Head listeria outbreak, and nine people have died. The agency called it the largest listeria outbreak since one linked to cantaloupe in 2011. <\/p>\n
The actual number of illnesses is probably higher than what\u2019s been reported because some people may have had milder illnesses and were not tested for listeria, the CDC said. The agency continues to advise consumers to check their kitchens for recalled products, which have \u201cEST. 12612\u201d or \u201cP-12612\u201d inside the USDA mark of inspection on labels and have sell-by dates into October 2024. <\/p>\n
Listeria bacteria causes listeriosis, the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States. Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches and fatigue. An infection can also cause a stiff neck, a headache, confusion or seizures. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Boar\u2019s Head will close the Virginia plant that produced deli meat tied to a deadly listeria outbreak, the company said on Friday. The move is part of several changes made following what it called a \u201cdark moment in our company\u2019s history.\u201d Boar\u2019s Head said it will permanently discontinue sales of liverwurst after an investigation found its …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1360,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"loftocean_post_primary_category":0,"loftocean_post_format_gallery":"","loftocean_post_format_gallery_ids":"","loftocean_post_format_gallery_urls":"","loftocean_post_format_video_id":0,"loftocean_post_format_video_url":"","loftocean_post_format_video_type":"","loftocean_post_format_video":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_type":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_url":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_id":0,"loftocean_post_format_audio":"","loftocean-featured-post":"","loftocean-like-count":0,"loftocean-view-count":810,"tinysalt_single_post_intro_label":"","tinysalt_single_post_intro_description":"","tinysalt_hide_post_featured_image":"","tinysalt_post_featured_media_position":"","tinysalt_single_site_header_source":"","tinysalt_single_custom_site_header":"0","tinysalt_single_custom_sticky_site_header":"0","tinysalt_single_custom_sticky_site_header_style":"sticky-scroll-up","tinysalt_single_site_footer_source":"","tinysalt_single_custom_site_footer":"0","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}