U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and nine other members of the Food Safety Caucus have sent a letter to Boar’s Head questioning its decision to reopen its Jarratt, Virginia facility, which was at the center of a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in 2024.

The outbreak, attributed to deli meats produced at the Jarratt plant, sickened dozens of people nationwide and caused at least 10 deaths. U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) inspection reports dated as early as January 2022 revealed a history of serious, unresolved food safety and sanitation breaches at the implicated facility. Examples of non-compliances recorded in the inspection documents included the presence of mold and insects, meat residues on processing equipment, rust and chipping paint throughout the facility, dripping condensation, and numerous other hazards.

As the news of Boar’s Head’s intent to reopen the Jarratt plant came to light, additional inspection reports were uncovered for other production plants owned by the company, revealing similarly insanitary conditions as recently as June of this year.

In this context, the Congressional letter asked that Boar’s Head representatives appear before the Food Safety Caucus to answer questions regarding the reopening of the Jarratt facility. It also asks about what measures, if any, have been taken to further prevent the sale of contaminated foods, and to address the “concerning culture of food safety” at the company.

“It seems your company continues to show a disregard for food safety and for the public health of the American people,” the Congress members wrote. “Boar’s Head has an obligation to protect public health and prepare and sell food that meets strict safety standards.”

Rep. DeLauro is the Chair of the Food Safety Caucus. She has addressed Boar’s Head and USDA for their failures leading to the 2024 L. monocytogenes outbreak in the past.

Boar’s Head has previously publicized companywide food safety efforts that have been undertaken since the outbreak, such as transitioning to USDA’s Alternative 2 Listeria Control Requirements, increasing Listeria sampling, establishing an independent Food Safety Advisory Council, improving employee training, and promoting food safety culture.

Boar's Head told Food Safety Magazine, that, following the Listeria outbreak, the company "moved quickly, aggressively and decisively in close collaboration with regulators and leading food safety experts to identify the root cause of the problem and implement enhancements to [its] food manufacturing nationwide to prevent something like [the outbreak] from ever happening again."