‘Major deficiencies’ found at Boar’s Head plant almost two years before deli meat recall, documents show

Nearly two years before a deadly listeria outbreak linked to recalled deli meat, inspectors at a Virginia Boar’s Head plant detailed poor physical conditions that “could pose an imminent threat,” documents from the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service show.

Inspection reports from the Boar’s Head facility in Jarratt, Virginia, have described insects, mold, “blood in puddles on the floor” and a “rancid smell in the cooler” at various points since 2022.

Additional details, first reported by the New York Times, date to September 2022, when “major deficiencies” with the plant’s physical conditions were identified, including rusty equipment, peeling and flaking paint, loose caulk, holes in walls, product residue on surfaces and dripping condensation. The reports said plant management was notified and directed to take corrective action.

Operations at the Virginia plant have been paused, and the company previously said it was taking time to disinfect, enhance policies and procedures and train employees. It also said it is working with food safety experts to investigate the events leading to the recall, which was first announced in July.

FSIS said in a statement Wednesday that its investigation into the outbreak is ongoing, including a “holistic look at Boar’s Head establishments across the country.” It said the agency will review factors that led to the outbreak at the Virginia facility, “what needs to be improved, and if there are lessons learned that could be more broadly applied to ready-to-eat meat and poultry facilities.”

The Virginia Boar’s Head facility is inspected by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as part of the Talmadge-Aiken Cooperative Inspection Program, which allows some states to provide federal inspection services.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month that 57 people have been hospitalized in 18 states in connection with the listeria outbreak, and nine people have died. The agency called it the largest listeria outbreak since one linked to cantaloupe in 2011.

The actual number of illnesses is probably higher than what’s 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 “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” inside the USDA mark of inspection on labels and have sell-by dates into October 2024.