Boar's Head Closes Virginia Plant After Deadly Listeria Outbreak
Recalled deli products produced at the facility have resulted in a reported 57 hospitalizations and nine deaths due to listeria infection. The brand is implementing company-wide food safety measures as a result.
This Boar's Head plant in Jarratt, Va., is now closed due to numerous food safety issues identified by the USDA at the facility.
AP/Steve Helber
Deli meat producer Boar’s Head is indefinitely closing its Jarratt, Va., plant after a Listeria outbreak linked to the plant hospitalized dozens across 18 states. The company cites production processes at the plant as the root cause of the contamination.
The closure comes after Boar’s Head ready-to-eat liverwurst products and other deli products produced at the facility were linked to a Listeria outbreak that has hospitalized 57 and killed nine thus far, according to the CDC.
The company announced the closure Friday as a part of its measures to “prevent such an incident from ever happening again,” it explained in a release. About 500 employees will be impacted by the shutdown, according to a union spokesperson.
The facility has not been operational since the recall was first enacted in late July 2024. The decision to close the facility comes after Boar’s Head’s investigation “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,” the company said in its announcement.
Boar’s Head is also permanently discontinuing its liverwurst production after this discovery.
A USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) notice of suspension shared in the company’s announcement notes “insanitary conditions” including beaded condensation on a door opening dripping over products, as well as inadequate sanitation procedures that could have resulted in staff and equipment spreading bacteria. The notice cites positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes both in an unopened liverwurst product and on a pallet jack used to move racks of product around the facility.
As a result of the Listeria outbreak at its Virginia plant, Boar's Head is discontinuing production of liverwurst.USDA
Facility reports from the FSIS have also described insanitary conditions including mold, rancid smells, chipping and flaking paint, rusty equipment, and insects among other various instances of noncompliance since 2022.
“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,” Boar’s Head said in its announcement.
Boar’s Head enhancing food safety measures
Boar’s Head explained in its announcement a plan to prevent future food safety incidents and enhancing its food safety and quality measures across the country.
The company is currently recruiting to appoint a new chief food safety and quality assurance officer, who will report directly to the company’s president.
A new “Boar’s Head Food Safety Council” will also help the company in adoption and implementation of enhanced quality assurance programs. The council will be made up of independent food safety experts, who will serve as advisors to the new chief food safety officer and to the company overall. Some of these experts have already been contributing to the Jarratt facility investigation.
Boar’s Head also plans to create an enhanced company-wide food safety and quality assurance program. Says the announcement, “Our company’s goal is to develop and industry-leading program that addresses food safety standards and strengthens a culture of food safety throughout the supply chain.”
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