A federal inspection found 69 violations, many of them cruel, at the Boar’s Head slaughterhouse, the epicenter of the nation’s deadly slaughterhouses. Listeria The outbreak has so far killed nine people in 18 states, sickened and hospitalized 57 others and prompted the recall of more than 7 million pounds of meat nationwide.
The facility in Jarratt, Virginia, had recurring problems including mold, leaks, dirty equipment and rooms, flesh particles on walls and equipment, various insects and, at one point, pools of blood on the floor, according to the complaint. Inspection Report From the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The report was obtained by CBS News. Through a Freedom of Information Act request. The report outlines 69 violations that occurred between Aug. 1, 2023 and Aug. 2, 2024.
The report’s findings reveal the perfect conditions for the company’s meat to become contaminated with the bacteria that causes the deadly outbreak. Listeria monocytogenesIt is a hardy bacterium that is ubiquitous in the environment, including soil and water, and spreads between humans via the fecal-oral route. In healthy individuals, it usually causes only gastrointestinal infections. However, in elderly people, newborns, and immunocompromised individuals, it can cause life-threatening invasive infections with a fatality rate of approximately 17%. It is also a major danger to pregnant women, causing miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and life-threatening infections in newborns.
Always lurking, Listeria monocytogenes The bacterium has a particular troubling effect on the food industry because of its remarkable ability to thrive at refrigerator temperatures that normally limit the growth of other troublesome bacteria.
Accumulation and bugs
At the Boar’s Head facility, Listeria monocytogenes The facility appears to have had many opportunities to increase its numbers. First, the facility has a long record of trash and meat remains left in various locations, sometimes reported alongside insect sightings. For example, on June 10, an inspector entered the “pickle tank pump room” and found “a large accumulation of meat” on the walls and flies and gnats crawling about. Another location the same day found meat piled up on a roll-up door and a water pipe above the door that was constantly leaking water down the wall onto the floor. There was also “an array of ants” and a large number of ladybugs, cockroaches, and beetles. Earlier, on March 13, an inspector inspecting an adjacent room used for wired ham found trash, meat protein, and even “pork muscle” on the floor.
A retroactive inspection on August 8, 2023 found the processing line covered in meat debris and debris. Hydraulic pumps were covered in “heavily discoloured meat deposits” and pieces of meat and fat were stuck to the catwalk supports. Meat debris and debris were found in the weighing scales on the inspection line, and there was a foul smell. “Multiple pieces of meat were found on the floor of the department, as well as puddles containing a brown muddy or earthy substance,” the inspection report stated.
The facility has had numerous leaks and condensation issues consistent with numerous mold findings. The facility repaired a leak in a water pipe by temporarily wrapping it in plastic. On October 26, an inspector noticed a plastic-wrapped pipe inside the curing cooler. The plastic was dated August 17 and had “orange/brown water pooling in the lowest area.”
Foam and blood
On January 9, an inspection of a storage cooler revealed black mold spots the size of quarters throughout the room. On July 23, inspectors noticed bubbling paint on the wall around an employee hand-washing sink, with water in the bubbles. They also found black and pink mold under the sink.
On July 17, inspectors found “green algae growth” in a pool of water in a cooler used to store fresh produce. On July 27, inspectors noticed a clear liquid leaking from a square section of the ceiling, with two similar leaks behind that section. An employee came and wiped the liquid up with a sponge, but the liquid returned within 10 seconds. An employee wiped it up again, and the liquid returned within 10 seconds. Meanwhile, a nearby ceiling fan was blowing the leaking liquid onto an uncovered humidor in the hallway outside the room.
Additionally, a Feb. 21 report said a raw cooler was found with “a large amount of blood in a puddle on the floor” and a “horrible odor.”
USDA documents show the agency has not taken any enforcement action against Boar’s Head, and data on swab tests is not available. Listeria It began at a facility in Virginia, which has been closed since late July after health investigators discovered the outbreak strain. Listeria monocytogenes An unopened container of Boar’s Head liverwurst.
In a statement updated on August 29, Boar’s Head said, “We are working closely with the USDA, government regulators and industry-leading food safety experts to conduct an extensive investigation to determine how liverwurst produced at our Jarratt, Virginia facility became adulterated and to work to prevent it from happening again. We will not reopen this facility until we are confident that it meets USDA regulatory standards and Boar’s Head’s highest quality and safety standards.”
