Boar's Head closes plant, discontinues selling liverwurst in wake of listeria outbreak

Deli meat company Boar’s Head has closed the Virginia plant tied to a deadly food poisoning outbreak and permanently discontinue selling liverwurst, the product that was contaminated, the company said in a news release Friday.

“We understand the gravity of this situation and the profound impact it has had on affected families,” the statement said in part. “Comprehensive measures are being implemented to prevent such an incident from ever happening again.”

Other steps the company announced include appointment of a new chief food safety and quality assurance officer who will report directly to the president of Boar’s Head; establishment of a company safety council comprising people the company said were “independent industry-leading food safety experts"; and creation of an “enhanced” food safety and quality assurance program.

The company’s Jarratt, Virginia, plant, which had been closed since late July, has been linked to the deaths of at least nine people and hospitalizations of about 50 others in 18 states due to listeria, a hardy bacteria that can survive and even thrive during refrigeration. New York State Health Department spokeswoman Cadence Acquaviva said in an email that the department was investigating 17 listeria infections across the state, including two each in Suffolk and Nassau counties and eight in New York City.

All of the infections resulted in hospitalization and one death was attributed to listeria infection, Acquaviva wrote. Privacy concerns prevented the department from disclosing further information about that case, she wrote. 

An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infections can be hard to pinpoint because symptoms may occur up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. Infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth.

At the Jarratt plant, between Aug. 1, 2023, and Aug. 2, 2024, inspectors found “heavy discolored meat buildup" and “meat overspray on walls and large pieces of meat on the floor,” The Associated Press reported. Inspectors also documented flies “going in and out” of pickle vats and “black patches of mold” on a ceiling. Plant staff members were repeatedly notified that they had failed to meet requirements, the documents showed.

"Clearly this facility had some issues," said Martin Bucknavage, a Penn State food safety expert. "Listeria is a type of pathogenic organism in these facilities that's going to take advantage of less than good situations like condensation, like not cleaning well."

According to a July 31 Department of Agriculture letter to Boar's Head announcing suspension of production of certain meat or poultry products at the plant — those that should have been safe to eat without additional preparation — plant management had asserted there was a low risk of listeria in the area where those products were prepared. But inspectors found multiple instances of unsanitary conditions, according to the letter, which Boar's Head posted on its website Friday.

"I was surprised when I read this, by the fact that [inspectors] did not hammer this early on and were not more aggressive in terms of handling this situation," Bucknavage said. 

In early August, a Queens woman was lead plaintiff on a class-action lawsuit filed against Boar's Head in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleging that Boar's Head Provisions Co. "improperly, deceptively, and misleadingly labeled and marketed its Products to reasonable consumers ... by omitting and not disclosing to consumers on its packaging that the Products are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes."

Carle Place lawyer Jeffrey Brown, one of those who filed the suit on behalf of customers, did not reply to requests for comment Friday. Boar's Head did not respond to an emailed request for comment. 

 On July 25, Boar's Head recalled its Strassburger Brand Liverwurst. On July 29, it recalled every item produced at its Jarratt plant, about 7 million pounds of meats in total. The company said that any recalled items bought before July 31 should be discarded or returned. The recall does not affect products now available in retail and food service outlets.

Boar's Head said closure of the Jarratt plant would affect hundreds of workers. UFCW Local 400, the union representing workers at the plant, said in a statement: “Everyone agrees this unprecedented tragedy was not the fault of the workforce, so it is especially unfortunate that the Jarratt plant must close indefinitely and put so many men and women out of work."

The company agreed to offer workers transfers to other facilities or severance, the union said. 

With The Associated Press