Boar’s Head closes facility responsible for listeria outbreak and discontinues liverwurst

The Virginia Boar’s Head plant responsible for the fatal listeria outbreak is closing indefinitely and permanently discontinuing the production of liverwurst , the source of the original outbreak.

Nine people have died, and dozens have been hospitalized, as a result of a listeria outbreak in the Boar’s Head facility in Jarratt, Virginia, resulting in more than 7.2 million pounds of liverwurst and other deli meat being recalled in late July.

Symptoms of listeria usually start within one to four weeks of eating contaminated food, but they can occur as late as 70 days after exposure. This means that more cases could develop despite all contaminated products having been removed from stores.

Within the past year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service documented 69 noncompliance violations at the plant, but officials had warned of health and safety violations for at least two years prior to the outbreak.

Federal food safety assessments in September and October 2022 revealed live beetles in the bathroom hallway of the facility, patches of green mold on the walls, trash on the floor, rust on the walls, leaking pipes, and water-damaged ceilings.

According to Boar’s Head, the Jarratt plant only produced liverwurst, which was the source of the original outbreak.

“Our investigation has identified the root cause of the contamination as a specific production process that only existed at the Jarratt facility and was used only for liverwurst. With this discovery, we have decided to permanently discontinue liverwurst,” the company’s press release read.

The company also said that due to the gravity of the violations at the Jarratt facility, “we will not make excuses.”

“Given the seriousness of the outbreak, and the fact that it originated at Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this location, which has not been operational since late July 2024,” the company’s press release noted.

The United Food and Commercial Workers 400 Union that staffed the Jarratt facility, representing 35,000 members in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, said in a statement that the company has promised that union members can transfer to other Boar’s Head facilities or accept a severance package “well above and beyond what is required under the law.”

The Boar’s Head facility is the largest employer in the town of less than a thousand residents.

“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 union’s statement said.

The company’s press release said it does “not take lightly” the livelihoods of hundreds of employees but that it will assist “each of our employees in the transition process."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The company is also creating a new food safety council to implement enhanced quality assurance measures.

“This is a dark moment in our company’s history, but we intend to use this as an opportunity to enhance food safety programs not just for our company but for the entire industry,” the company said.