A Boar鈥檚 Head deli meat plant in Virginia tied to a 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.
Government inspectors logged 69 instances of 鈥渘oncompliance鈥� with federal rules in the past year, including several in recent weeks, according to through federal Freedom of Information Act requests.
Inspections at the plant have been suspended and it will remain closed 鈥渦ntil the establishment is able to demonstrate it can produce safe product,鈥� U.S. Agriculture Department officials said in a statement Thursday. Boar's Head officials halted production at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant in late July.
The plant has been linked to the deaths of 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 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, inspectors found 鈥渉eavy discolored meat buildup" and 鈥渕eat overspray on walls and large pieces of meat on the floor.鈥� They also documented flies 鈥済oing in and out鈥� of pickle vats and 鈥渂lack patches of mold鈥� on a ceiling. One inspector detailed blood puddled on the floor and 鈥渁 rancid smell in the cooler.鈥� Plant staff were repeatedly notified that they had failed to meet requirements, the documents showed.
鈥淚 think it is disgusting and shameful,鈥� said Garshon Morgenstein, whose 88-year-old father, Gunter, died July 18 from a listeria infection traced to Boar's Head liverwurst. 鈥淚'm just even more in shock that this was allowed to happen.鈥�
The plant was inspected by Virginia officials through a partnership with the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service. When problems were found, Boar's Head took 鈥渃orrective actions in keeping with FSIS regulations,鈥� officials said. Federal reports show no enforcement actions against Boar鈥檚 Head between January and March, the latest records available.
The documents, first reported by 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 鈥� thin, slimy collections of bacteria that are difficult to eradicate.
Officials with Boar鈥檚 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 and prioritizes food safety. On its website, all the issues raised by government inspectors were addressed immediately.
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.
鈥淚t makes me wonder why additional actions weren't taken by management of that company and the regulators,鈥� 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.
鈥淭he 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,鈥� Schaffner said.
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
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.
鈥淔or 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.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press
