Boar’s Head is closing its liverwurst manufacturing plant at Jarratt where a listeria outbreak caused the deaths of nine people.
Recalls were initiated at the Virginia facility in July as deli meats produced at the site were linked to listeria, which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said caused 57 consumers to be hospitalised across 18 US states.
“Our investigation has identified the root cause of the contamination as a specific production process that only existed at the Jarratt facility and was used only for liverwurst,” Boar’s Head said in a statement issued on Friday (13 September).
“With this discovery, we have decided to permanently discontinue liverwurst.”
The company added that “given the seriousness of the outbreak, and the fact that it originated at Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this location, which has not been operational since late July 2024”.
Boar’s Head emphasised its regrets the decision will have on affected workers at the Jarratt facility, where 71 products were recalled produced between 10 May 2024 and 29 July 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names.
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The CDC has said the listeriosis outbreak was the largest in the US since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe. When that outbreak was declared over, it was said to have killed 30 people.
“It pains us to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees. We do not take lightly our responsibility as one of the area’s largest employers. But, under these circumstances, we feel that a plant closure is the most prudent course. We will work to assist each of our employees in the transition process,” Boar’s Head said in the statement.
“This is a dark moment in our company’s history but we intend to use this as an opportunity to enhance food safety programmes, not just for our company but for the entire industry.”
The company is taking preventative food-safety measures to prevent any reoccurrence.
It plans to appoint a chief food safety and compliance officer, who will also oversee quality assurance. A recruiting process is underway.
Meanwhile, Boar’s Head is forming an internal food-safety council comprising of Dr David Acheson, Dr Mindy Brashears, Dr Martin Wiedmann, and Frank Yiannas.
Acheson has served as the president and CEO of the global food safety body, The Acheson Group. He also held various roles at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Brashears has served at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as the under secretary for food safety, while Yiannas was once the deputy commissioner for food policy and response at the FDA.
Wiedmann is a food microbiologist and academic, who is a Cornell University professor in food safety.
Boar’s Head added: “We understand the gravity of this situation and the profound impact it has had on affected families. Comprehensive measures are being implemented to prevent such an incident from ever happening again.”
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