The Listeria monocytogenes outbreak traced back to a Boar’s Head facility in Jarratt, Virginia, has been in the news for the past two months. Here’s an update and what convenience retailers need to know.

On July 26, Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc. issued a recall for more than 207,000 pounds of deli meat, which was then expanded on July 31 to include an additional 7 million pounds of deli meat and poultry items, as reported in NACS Daily. (USA Today provides a full timeline here.)

According to a statement from Boar’s Head, “the root cause of the contamination was a specific production process that only existed at the Jarratt facility and was used only for liverwurst.”

The New York Times reported that two years ago, an extensive inspection was conducted and concluded that “conditions at the plant—rife with mold, rust and holes in the wall—posed an ‘imminent threat’ to food safety. That finding could have resulted in a warning letter or even a suspension of production there, but the USDA did not take strict measures and allowed the plant to stay open until this outbreak forced a suspension in production in late July.”

Recently released federal records show that the inspectors who went into the plant after the listeria outbreak found that the company had inadequate controls to prevent bacterial contamination from spreading, no written plans for employees to safeguard against cross-contamination and found a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes on the equipment used to move ready-to-eat products, the Times wrote.

According to CBS News, “In July, federal inspectors found what looked to be mold and mildew around the hand washing sinks for the workers tasked with meats that are supposed to be ready to eat.”

The CDC’s update on August 28 reported that “a total of 57 people infected with the outbreak strain of listeria have been reported from 18 states. … Of the 57 people with information available, all 57 have been hospitalized. One person got sick during their pregnancy and remained pregnant after recovering. Nine deaths have been reported, including one in Illinois, one in New Jersey, one in Virginia, one in Florida, one in Tennessee, one in New Mexico, one in New York and two in South Carolina.”

“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for listeria,” the CDC said.

In its statement, Boar’s Head announced measures it is taking to enhance its food safety and quality measures. These include:

• Permanently discontinuing its liverwurst offering and indefinitely closing the Jarratt, Virginia, production plant.
• Appointing a new chief food safety and quality assurance officer (CFSO), who will report directly to Boar’s Head’s president.
• Establishing a Boar’s Head Food Safety Council comprised of independent industry-leading food safety experts.
• Creating an enhanced, company-wide food safety and quality assurance program.

Food safety is critical. Join NACS at its third annual Food Safety Forum on October 7, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Food Safety Forum is the only retail-focused event of its kind for the global convenience community and is developed and administered by convenience industry food safety, foodservice, quality assurance and risk management leaders.