A national foodborne illness outbreak caused by Boar’s Head deli meats has sickened at least 59 people and resulted in ten deaths, according to updated data from the CDC released on September 25, 2024. According to recently released U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection reports, in the year leading up to the outbreak, serious noncompliances with food safety regulations were observed 69 different times at the Jarratt, Virginia plant where the products were produced.

Examples of recorded noncompliances include, but are not limited to:

• Meat build-up on line equipment, electrical cords, the walls and floor, hoppers, mixers, blades, and other areas of the facility, some of which emanated an odor and was decayed in appearance
• The presence of black and green mold
• Trash, wood, mud, and other debris on floor scales
• Pooling, sometimes muddy or bloody water on the floor
• Rust and/or chipping paint on walls, the ceiling, brackets, and line equipment
• Beaded, sometimes dripping, condensation on surfaces
• Dripping condensation above product being held
• Meat residues on food contact surfaces
• Improperly stored product
• Not meeting Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan requirements nor keeping adequate documentation
• Inadequate, temporary fixes for issues with overhead pipes
• Facility staff not practicing proper hygiene
• Improperly labeled and misused combo bins
• Drains backed up with meat causing overflowing
• The presence of flies, gnats, beetles, roaches, ants, and other insects (both alive and dead)
• Visibly dirty equipment being kept in close proximity to clean equipment
• Trash, gloves, and other debris on various surfaces of the facility.

According to USDA, the agency was relying on Virginia state inspectional staff to oversee operations at the Jarratt plant. Production at the facility has been suspended, and it will remain closed until it can demonstrate that it is able to safely produce product.

Boar’s Head Faces Lawsuit

Meanwhile, the family of 88-year old Gunter Morgenstein has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Boar’s Head. Mr. Morgenstein fell ill with listeriosis after consuming Boar’s Head liverwurst in June, and after 10 days in the hospital, died from a brain infection caused by the pathogen.

Update, September 12, 2024: Additional USDA inspection reports dated as early as January 2022 have revealed an even longer history of serious noncompliances at Boar's Head's Jarratt, Virginia plant than previously known. Rust, mold, debris, insects, meat residues, leaking pipes, and other issues were noted at the facility throughout the two years preceding the fatal listeriosis outbreak.

Update, September 13, 2024: Boar’s Head announced that it is indefinitely closing the Jarratt, Virginia plant, and that it is discontinuing its liverwurst product, which was the vehicle of the outbreak. Additionally, the company is implementing a number of enhanced food safety and quality measures, including the appointment of a new Chief Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer, and establishing a new Boar’s Head Food Safety Council.

Update, September 25, 2024: The death toll in the Boar's Head listeriosis has climbed to ten people in 19 states (Louisiana being the most recent addition), according to CDC. A total of 59 people have been sickened.

Update, October 23, 2024: Another wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Boar's Head, as well as Publix Supermarkets, by firm Morgan and Morgan. The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the family of Otis Adams, Jr., who died in May 2024 at age 79 after allegedly eating Boar’s Head ham purchased from a Tampa-area Publix grocery store. This is the first lawsuit to allege that a deadly infection was contracted from a product other than the company’s liverwurst.