Remember that Boar’s Head factory that was linked to several deaths and hospitalizations because it was filled with bugs, mold, and “unidentified slime”? It’s reopening a year after being at the heart of a deadly Listeria outbreak. The company is now acting like all of that never happened.
The outbreak began in May 2024 with a few people with flu-like symptoms scattered across the Midwest and East Coast. By the time the CDC got involved, things were escalating quickly. Ten people were dead. Sixty were hospitalized. Over 2.6 million pounds of deli meat had to be destroyed — and it was all linked to a Boar’s Head factory in Virginia.
The plant was shut down indefinitely. But the definition of “indefinite”, in this case, is more like “until the public forgets about it” because the USDA lifted the suspension recently, allowing Boar’s Head to resume operations, with no food safety certification required.
Boar’s Head made some upper management moves recently, like bringing on former Trump USDA official Mindy Brashears to advise on food safety. You can make up your own mind about what that means.
Meanwhile, it’s not just this one Virginia facility. The AP obtained documents that show similar problems in Boar’s Head factories in Arkansas, Indiana, and a second Virginia plant. They were plagued with gross conditions like clogged drains full of rotting meat, dripping ceilings, and employees ignoring basic hygiene. Boar’s Head is a nationwide charcuterie board filled with rotting meats.
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