Current:Home > ScamsBoar’s Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules dozens of times, records show -MarketLink
Boar’s Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules dozens of times, records show
EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-07 16:32:40
A Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia tied to a deadly food poisoning outbreak repeatedly violated federal regulations, including instances of mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment, newly released records show.
Agriculture Department officials logged 69 instances of “noncompliance” with federal rules in the past year, including several in recent weeks, according to documents released through federal Freedom of Information Act requests.
The Jarratt, Virginia, plant has been linked to the deaths of at least nine people and hospitalizations of about 50 others in 18 states. All were sickened with listeria after eating Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc. deli meats. The company recalled more than 7 million pounds of products last month after tests confirmed that listeria bacteria in Boar’s Head products were making people sick.
Between Aug. 1, 2023, and Aug. 2, 2024, U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service personnel found “heavy discolored meat buildup” and “meat overspray on walls and large pieces of meat on the floor.” They also documented flies “going in and out” of pickle vats and “black patches of mold” on a ceiling. One inspector detailed blood puddled on the floor and “a rancid smell in the cooler.” Plant staff were repeatedly notified that they had failed to meet requirements, the documents showed.
“I think it is disgusting and shameful,” said Garshon Morgenstein, whose 88-year-old father, Gunter, died July 18 from a listeria infection traced to Boar’s Head liverwurst. “I’m just even more in shock that this was allowed to happen.”
The documents, first reported by CBS News, didn’t contain any test results that confirmed listeria in the factory. The bacteria thrive on floors, walls and drains, in cracks and crevices and hard-to-clean parts of food processing equipment. Pests such as flies can easily spread the bacteria through a plant and the germ can survive in biofilms — thin, slimy collections of bacteria that are difficult to eradicate.
Officials with Boar’s Head did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, but a spokesperson told CBS that the company regrets the impact of the recall, prioritizes food safety and addressed the USDA’s concerns.
Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University, said the records raise a lot of red flags.
“It makes me wonder why additional actions weren’t taken by management of that company and the regulators,” she said.
Donald Schaffner, a Rutgers food science and safety expert who reviewed the inspection documents, said reports of condensation throughout the plant are concerning because that’s a known risk factor for listeria.
“The fact that they are having the same problems over and over again weeks apart is an indication that they really struggling to keep up with sanitation,” Schaffner said.
Listeria infections cause about 1,600 illnesses each year in the U.S. and about 260 people die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People older than 65, those who are pregnant or who have weakened immune systems are most vulnerable.
USDA food safety officials did not immediately respond to questions about the conditions at the plant. Federal reports show no enforcement actions against Boar’s Head between January and March, the latest records available.
Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer who has sued companies over food poisoning outbreaks, said the conditions described in the inspections reports were the worst he’s seen in three decades.
Garshon Morgenstein said his father bought Boar’s Head products because of the company’s reputation.
“For the rest of my life, I have to remember my father’s death every time I see or hear the name Boar’s Head,” he said.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (72668)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Ports Go Electric in Drive to Decarbonize and Cut Pollution
- NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson's in-laws and their grandson found dead in Oklahoma home
- Perry’s Grid Study Calls for Easing Pollution Rules on Power Plants
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- California’s New Cap-and-Trade Plan Heads for a Vote—with Tradeoffs
- Major Pipeline Delays Leave Canada’s Tar Sands Struggling
- How Al Pacino’s Pregnant Girlfriend Noor Alfallah Is Relaxing During 3rd Trimester
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Ports Go Electric in Drive to Decarbonize and Cut Pollution
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- DoorDash says it will give drivers the option to earn a minimum hourly wage
- Five Years After Paris, Where Are We Now? Facing Urgent Choices
- How Amanda Seyfried Is Helping Emmy Rossum With Potty Training After Co-Star Welcomed Baby No. 2
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- To Close Climate Goals Gap: Drop Coal, Ramp Up Renewables — Fast, UN Says
- Biden touts economic record in Chicago speech, hoping to convince skeptical public
- Celebrity Hair Colorist Rita Hazan Shares Her Secret to Shiny Strands for Just $13
Recommendation
Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
California’s Car Culture Is Slowing the State’s Emissions Cuts
Don’t Miss This Chance To Get 3 It Cosmetics Mascaras for the Price of 1
Armie Hammer Not Charged With Sexual Assault After LAPD Investigation
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Amy Schumer Reveals NSFW Reason It's Hard to Have Sex With Your Spouse
American Climate Video: The Driftwood Inn Had an ‘Old Florida’ Feel, Until it Was Gone
As Scientists Struggle with Rollbacks, Stay At Home Orders and Funding Cuts, Citizens Fill the Gap