Boar's Head announced on Friday that it has closed a sausage factory in Virginia indefinitely and is ceasing production of the liver sausage, which is made with a Deadly listeria outbreak in several states This also made dozens of individuals sick.
In a “dark moment” in the corporate’s history, Boar’s Head said in a Statement from Friday The company is indefinitely closing its plant in Jarratt, Virginia, where the liver sausage product linked to the outbreak was manufactured.
The explanation for the contamination was a “specific production process” that only exists on the Jarratt plant, the corporate said.
“We deeply regret and apologize for the recent contamination of our liver sausage product. We understand the seriousness of the situation and the profound impact it has had on the families affected,” the statement said.
“We have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this site, which has been out of operation since the end of July 2024. We are saddened to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees,” the corporate said.
“We take our responsibility as one of the region's largest employers very seriously,” the statement continued. “But under these circumstances, we believe that a plant closure is the most sensible course of action. We will support each of our employees during the transition process.”
This 12 months's liver sausage epidemic left nine people dead and 57 hospitalized. Boar's Head recalled its Strassburger brand liver sausage on July 25 due to concerns that it contained the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
The CDC said the corporate was accountable for the biggest listeriosis outbreak since 2011, when greater than 30 people died from affected melons.
The recall was expanded to 7 million kilos of meatwhich, in line with the corporate, applies to all items produced within the plant.
On July 31, the United States Department of Agriculture announced that the Jarratt plant a notice of suspension.
According to USDA records, the Virginia plant had Dozens of violations These included reports of inspectors finding insects, mold and pools of blood.
According to the documents, from August 1, 2023 to August 2, 2024, the department's employees recorded 69 cases of non-compliance with federal regulations on the plant CBS News received through requests under the Federal Freedom of Information Act.
According to the documents, on August 8, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture reported “severe discoloration of the meat” on a hydraulic pump within the factory and on the motor of an inspection line, and again reported “severe meat deposits” on the partitions of a room within the factory on June 10.
The presence of insects in the power can be an issue, the department said.
On June 10, flies were observed “flying in and out” of pickle tubs and “small mosquito-like insects were observed crawling along the walls and flying around the room.” According to the documents, the department also reported a “constant line of ants” and “the presence of flying insects” in the identical room. Also reported on the identical day were “7 ladybugs, 1 beetle-like insect, and 1 cockroach-like insect.”
Boar's Head said that for the reason that voluntary recall in late July, the corporate has been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), state regulators and leading food safety experts to work out what went unsuitable and make improvements.
Some enhanced measures, in line with Boar's Head, are: Appointment of a brand new Chief Food Safety Officer who will report on to the corporate's president; the establishment of a Food Safety Council comprised of independent food safety experts; and the creation of an enhanced, company-wide food safety and quality assurance program, Boar's Head said.
Gallup recently found that Americans’ confidence in the federal government’s ability to supply secure food of their food supply has reached a record low since 1999.
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