Federal records reveal unsanitary conditions at multiple Boar’s Head deli meat facilities, extending beyond the plant implicated in last year’s deadly listeria outbreak.
Newly released reports from Boar’s Head plants in New Castle, Indiana; Forrest City, Arkansas; and Petersburg, Virginia, detail recurring issues such as food residue on equipment and walls, dripping condensation, mold, insect infestations, and other sanitation problems dating back approximately six years. In May of last year, one inspector noted “general filth” in an Indiana plant area.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disclosed these reports in response to Freedom of Information Act requests from The Associated Press and other news outlets.
The issues documented at these three plants mirror some of the violations found at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant linked to the listeria outbreak. The new reports detail:
- Equipment “covered in meat scraps” in 2019.
- “Dry crusted meat from the previous day’s production” and “dark, stinky residue” in 2020.
- A doorway coated in “dried meat juices and grime” in 2021.
- Green mold and flaking paint in 2022.
- “Unidentified slime” and “an abundance of insects” in 2023.
- A puddle of “blood, debris and trash” in 2024.
Boar’s Head officials stated in an email that the violations at these three facilities “do not meet our high standards.” They added that their remaining plants operate under standard USDA supervision. The Sarasota, Florida-based company has long marketed itself as a premium provider of deli meats and cheeses, emphasizing “excellence that stands apart in every bite.”
Records from a fourth Boar’s Head plant in Holland, Michigan, do not show similar problems.
Boar’s Head ceased liverwurst production and closed its Jarratt, Virginia, plant last September following a listeria outbreak linked to the product, affecting over 60 individuals across 19 states, including 10 fatalities.
Maryland health officials initially detected listeria contamination in an unopened package of liverwurst. The company subsequently recalled millions of pounds of ready-to-eat deli meat and poultry nationwide. Approximately 2.6 million pounds were eventually retrieved, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The conditions uncovered at the other Boar’s Head plants are “really concerning,” according to Thomas Gremillion, director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America.
“It’s reasonable for some people to decide they don’t want to eat deli meat,” he stated. “Companies like Boar’s Head, they should have to earn consumers’ trust.”
Boar’s Head is facing numerous lawsuits related to the outbreak.
“This makes me extremely angry and sad,” said Garett Dorman, whose mother, Linda Dorman, 73, of Oxford, Pennsylvania, died in July after consuming Boar’s Head liverwurst. Liverwurst was one of the few foods she could eat due to her cancer, he explained. He is suing the company, according to court filings by Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm.
“I believe Boar’s Head needs to completely revamp their program at all of their facilities,” Dorman said in an email. “Boar’s Head needs to put the welfare of people as their highest priority.”
Lawmakers, including Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Rosa DeLauro, have strongly criticized USDA officials for insufficient action against the company, despite documented recurring problems. The USDA inspector general is reviewing the agency’s response. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the possibility of criminal charges.
“The new records released by FSIS should be considered by the DOJ, especially as they potentially point to a wider, systemic problem,” the lawmakers stated. “These reports make clear that there is a culture of noncompliance of critical safety and sanitary protocols.”
In previous reports, USDA officials attributed the Jarratt plant outbreak to “inadequate sanitation practices.” Key contributing factors included product residue, condensation, and building structural issues. State inspectors collaborating with the USDA had previously documented mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors, and equipment.
USDA officials have pledged new measures to control listeria in ready-to-eat food production facilities, including expanded testing, updated training and tools, increased inspections, more comprehensive food safety reviews, and enhanced oversight of state inspectors working on the agency’s behalf.
Boar’s Head is recruiting a “food safety culture manager,” according to Frank Yiannas, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration official now advising the company.