Insects, Mold Found at Boar’s Head Plant in Listeria Outbreak – NBC New York

The Boar’s Head, Virginia, meatpacking plant implicated in a deadly food poisoning outbreak repeatedly violated federal regulations, including mold, insects, liquid dripping from the ceilings, and meat and grease residue on walls, floors and equipment, according to newly released documents.

According to documents released through federal freedom of information requests, government inspectors have recorded 69 instances of “noncompliance” with federal regulations over the past year, including several in recent weeks.

Inspections at the plant have been suspended and it will remain closed “until the facility can demonstrate it can produce a safe product,” U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said in a statement Thursday. Boar’s Head officials halted production at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant in late July.

The plant has been linked to the deaths of at least nine people and the hospitalization of about 50 others in 18 states, all of whom contracted listeriosis after eating Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc. deli meats. The company recalled more than 7 million pounds of the products last month after tests confirmed that listeria bacteria in Boar’s Head products had sickened people.

Between Aug. 1, 2023, and Aug. 2, 2024, inspectors found “heavy, discolored meat buildup” and “excessive meat splatter on the walls and large pieces of meat on the floor.” They also documented flies “coming in and out” of the silage vats and “black mold spots” on the ceiling. One inspector described pools of blood on the floor and a “rancid odor in the cooler.” Plant staff were notified multiple times that they had not met the requirements, the documents show.

“I think it’s disgusting and disgraceful,” said Garshon Morgenstein, whose 88-year-old father, Gunter, died July 18 from a listeria infection traced to Boar’s Head liver. “I’m even more shocked that this was allowed to happen.”

The plant was inspected by Virginia officials in conjunction with the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service. When problems were discovered, Boar’s Head took “corrective actions consistent with FSIS regulations,” officials said. Federal reports show no enforcement actions against Boar’s Head from January through March, the most recent data available.

The documents, first reported by CBS News, did not include any test results confirming the presence of Listeria at the plant. The bacteria grows on floors, walls and drains, in cracks and crevices and hard-to-clean parts of food-processing equipment. Pests such as flies can easily spread the bacteria throughout the plant, and the germs can survive in biofilms — thin, slimy clumps of bacteria that are hard to eradicate.

Boar’s Head did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment, but a spokesperson told CBS the company regrets the impact of the recall and is prioritizing food safety. On its website, the company said all issues raised by government inspectors were immediately resolved.

Barbara Kowalczyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University, said the data raises many concerns.

“It makes me wonder why the board of this company and regulators have not taken additional action,” she said.

Donald Schaffner, a food and food safety expert at Rutgers University who has reviewed the inspection documents, said reports of condensation throughout the plant are concerning because it is a known risk factor for Listeria growth.

“The fact that they have the same problems on a weekly basis indicates that they are really struggling to keep up with hygiene,” Schaffner said.

Listeria infections cause about 1,600 illnesses in the U.S. each year and about 260 people die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People most at risk are those over 65, pregnant women or those who have weakened immune systems.

Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who has sued companies over food poisoning cases, said conditions described in inspection reports were the worst he had seen in three decades.

Garshon Morgenstein said his father bought Boar’s Head products because of the company’s reputation.

“For the rest of my life, every time I see or hear the name Boar’s Head, I will have to remember my father’s death,” he said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.