Boar's Head announced Friday that it has indefinitely closed a Virginia deli plant and discontinued production of liverwurst that is linked to a deadly multi-state listeria outbreak that also sickened dozens of people.
In what it called a “dark moment” in the company's history, Boar's Head said in a statement Friday will indefinitely close its plant in Jarratt, Virginia, where the liverwurst product linked to the outbreak was manufactured.
The cause of the contamination was a “specific production process” that existed only at the Jarratt facility, the company said.
“We deeply regret and apologize for the recent Listeria monocytogenes “We are deeply concerned about the contamination of our liver pate product. We understand the seriousness of this situation and the profound impact it has had on the affected families,” the statement said.
“We have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this facility, which has not been operational since late July 2024. We are saddened by the impact on the livelihood of hundreds of hard-working employees,” the company said.
“We do not take our responsibility as one of the largest employers in the area lightly,” the statement continued. “But, under these circumstances, we believe that closing the plant is the most prudent course of action. We will work to assist each of our employees in the transition process.”
This year's liverwurst outbreak killed nine people and hospitalized 57. Boar's Head recalled its Strassburger brand liverwurst on July 25 over concerns it contained the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
The CDC said the company was responsible for the largest listeriosis outbreak since 2011, when more than 30 people died from affected cantaloupes.
The recall was expanded to include 7 million pounds of meat, which the company said was all items produced at the facility.
On July 31, the United States Department of Agriculture served Jarratt's facility with a suspension notice.
According to USDA records, the Virginia plant had dozens of violations that included reports from inspectors finding insects, mold and pools of blood.
Department staff recorded 69 instances of noncompliance with federal regulations at the plant from Aug. 1, 2023, through Aug. 2, 2024, according to documents CBS News obtained through federal Freedom of Information Act requests.
According to the documents, the Agriculture Department reported “a large accumulation of discolored flesh” on a hydraulic pump at the plant and on the motor of an inspection line on Aug. 8, 2023, and again reported “a large accumulation of flesh” on the walls of a room at the plant on June 10.
The presence of insects was also a problem at the plant, according to the department.
On June 10, flies were found “flying in and out” of the pickle tanks and “small mosquito-like flying insects” were observed crawling on the walls and flying around the room. The department also reported a “constant line of ants” and “the presence of flying insects” in the same room, according to the documents. Also reported that same day were “7 ladybugs, one beetle-like insect, and one cockroach-like insect.”
Boar's Head said that since its voluntary retirement in late July, it has worked with the USDA and state government regulatory agencies and leading food safety experts to learn what went wrong and make improvements.
Some of the increased measures, according to Boar's Head, include: Appointing a new food safety director. who will report directly to the company's president; launch a food safety council comprised of independent food safety experts; and create an enhanced company-wide food safety and quality control program, Boar's Head said.
Gallup recently found that Americans' confidence in the government's ability to provide safe food in its supply chain has hit an all-time low since 1999.
