U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors turned up dozens of violations at a Boar’s Head plant in Virginia now linked to a nationwide recall of deli meats, according to new records released by the department, including mold, mildew and insects repeatedly found throughout the site.
Last month, Boar’s Head recalled all of the deli meats made at its plant in Jarratt, Virginia, after a listeria outbreak was blamed on products distributed from the site.
The outbreak has grown to 57 hospitalizations in 18 states linked to recalled products from the plant.
“This is the largest listeriosis outbreak since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
Samples from unopened products distributed from the Boar’s Head plant were found by authorities in multiple states to be contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
It’s unclear whether Boar’s Head will face any penalties by the USDA for the repeat issues.
In a statement, a Boar’s Head spokesperson said the company deeply regrets the impact of the recall, and said that said food safety is their “absolute priority.”
All operations have been suspended at the Jarratt plant, Ward said, and the company is working to disinfect the plant and retrain employees.
Beyond issues like paperwork lapses and leftover meat on equipment, the records show inspectors faulted Boar’s Head several times for mold or mildew building up around the company’s facilities in Jarratt.
In June, another record flagged concerns over flies going in and out of “vats of pickle” left by Boar’s Head in a room.
You. S. Inspectors from the Department of Agriculture discovered numerous infractions at a Virginia Boar’s Head plant that are currently connected to a nationwide deli meat recall, including persistently discovered mold, mildew, and insects. These records were made public by the department.
Following the discovery of a listeria outbreak linked to products distributed from the Jarratt, Virginia, plant last month, Boar’s Head issued a recall for all of the deli meats produced there.
Due to recalled plant products, the outbreak has spread to 18 states and 57 hospitalizations. Up to this point, at least nine deaths have been recorded; these include two in South Carolina and one in each of Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, and New York.
Declared on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, “This is the largest listeriosis outbreak since the outbreak linked to cantaloupe in 2011.”.
Authorities in several states discovered Listeria monocytogenes contamination in samples of unopened products that were distributed from the Boar’s Head plant. Genetic analysis connected the strain of bacteria causing the outbreak to the products’ bacteria.
It is recommended that consumers thoroughly inspect their refrigerators for the recalled meats and sanitize any surfaces that may have come into contact with them.
“Recalled products may have been consumed by consumers who were not aware of the recall. Following the recent deaths, a spokesman for the South Carolina health department issued a statement, adding, “People may also have a prolonged course of illness.”.
69 records of “noncompliances” that the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service had flagged at the Jarratt plant over the previous year were made available to CBS News via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Regarding the recurring problems, it’s unclear if Boar’s Head will be penalized by the USDA. There have been no “enforcement actions” against the company in the last year, according to reports released by the agency thus far. An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by a USDA representative.
A representative for Boar’s Head said in a statement that food safety is their “absolute priority” and that the company deeply regrets the impact of the recall. “.”.
A spokeswoman for the company, Elizabeth Ward, stated, “As a USDA-inspected food producer, the agency has inspectors in our Jarratt, Virginia plant every day and if at any time inspectors identify something that needs to be addressed, our team does so immediately, as was the case with every issue raised by USDA in this report.”.
According to Ward, the Jarratt plant has halted all operations while the company works to retrain staff and clean the facility. “Until it meets the highest quality and safety standards,” no product will be released from the plant. “. .
“To find out what exactly happened to cause this recall, we have worked with the top food safety specialists in the world to undertake a thorough investigation,” Ward stated.
Records reveal that inspectors repeatedly cited Boar’s Head for mold or mildew accumulation around the company’s Jarratt facilities, in addition to problems like incomplete paperwork and leftover meat on equipment.
Federal inspectors discovered what appeared to be mold and mildew in July near the hand washing stations used by employees who handle meat that is meant to be fit for consumption.
Previous records also indicate that mold was discovered growing in holding coolers located in between the plant’s smokehouses and outside of steel vats used by the operation.
The room’s intersection of the wall and concrete revealed a substance that resembled black mold. They reported in January that some areas were “as large as a quarter,” along with some caulking around brick and metal. ****.
A number of leaky or pooling water issues were discovered at other locations, such as a puddle that contained “a green algal growth” and condensation that was “dripping over product being held.”. “.
Employees attempted to plug the leaks after inspectors alerted the company to one of them.
One condensation problem was reported on July 27 near fans that appeared to be blowing the liquid onto uncovered deli meats. “The employee wiped a third time, and the leaks returned within 10 seconds,” inspectors wrote.
USDA accused the company of leaking other substances in addition to water. A plant cooler was discovered to have “ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor” and a “rancid smell” by an inspector in February.
Several documents also note observations of insects in and around the plant’s deli meats; one such incident led the agency to mark over 980 pounds of ham in a smokehouse hallway as “retained” for further investigation.
Concerns were raised in June by another record regarding flies entering and exiting “vats of pickle” that Boar’s Head had left in a room.
“We saw tiny, flying insects that resembled gnats flying around the room and crawling on the walls. There was a lot of meat buildup on the walls of the rooms,” they reported.
Insects were also discovered in other areas of the building, including a cockroach, a beetle, and what appeared to be “ants traveling down the wall.”.
