A recent recall of Boar’s Head deli meats linked to a nasty listeria outbreak prompted federal inspectors to visit the company’s plant in Jarratt, Virginia. The inspection yielded some pretty disgusting results.
Overall, inspectors identified 69 violations over the past year. Mildew! Cockroaches! Black mold! That’s the grossness trifecta. All they need to find is a finger in a vat of mortadella to take it over the top.
The listeria outbreak was the biggest since 2011. The CDC currently reports 57 hospitalizations and 9 deaths across 18 states linked to deli meat, most notably Boar’s Head’s since-recalled Strassburger Brand Liverwurst. The CDC says to avoid products identifiable by establishment number “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” on the product labels.
Despite the nasty conditions at the Boar’s Head facility, the US Department of Agriculture did not immediately enforce any actions against Boar’s Head. However, the company has suspended operations at the plant to clean the joint and re-train employees. Presumably, train them to care about any inky black fuzz growing near salami.
It should be noted that in 2019, the Trump administration relaxed safety standards and reduced oversight across the entire pork processing industry. Pork processing companies were suddenly allowed to start policing themselves with federal inspections being fewer and far between. Of course, they said it was all to cut costs and boost production.
Then, just a few years later, there was a massive listeria outbreak at a pork processing plant, lots of hospitalizations with some deaths, and black mold and bugs were found in the plant of one of the biggest producers of deli meat in the United States. Maybe a coincidence, maybe a direct result. Who knows. But it sure is an interesting connection.
The post Deadly Listeria Outbreak Linked to a Boar’s Head Plant Full of Bugs and Mold appeared first on VICE.
The post Deadly Listeria Outbreak Linked to a Boar’s Head Plant Full of Bugs and Mold appeared first on VICE.
