CDC: Tenth death confirmed in listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head products
Boar’s Head has shut down its Jarratt, Virginia facility, where a listeria outbreak occurred in July. However, the CDC has reported a new death and additional cases continue to surface.
The number of fatalities has reached 10 due to a listeria outbreak associated with a Boar’s Head facility in Virginia, leading to a nationwide recall of potentially adulterated deli meats.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed a tenth death in their latest report on the listeria situation. This latest death represents the second fatality in New York, according to the CDC. The agency also announced two more infections, raising the total number of cases to 59 across 19 states, with all infected individuals requiring hospitalization.
Initially, the CDC reported the outbreak on July 19, when 28 individuals were confirmed infected, along with two deaths. This prompted two major recalls from Boar’s Head, ultimately totaling more than 7 million pounds of liverwurst and other meat products from the Jarratt, Virginia plant where the tainted liverwurst was sourced.
Closure of Boar’s Head facility in Virginia
This month, Boar’s Head decided to shut down its Jarratt, Virginia plant, impacting around 500 employees.
The facility closed following inspections by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, which reported multiple “noncompliances,” including the presence of insects, as well as mold and mildew. Further documents indicated issues at the plant date back to January 2022.
Alongside the ongoing multi-agency investigation into the outbreak, several lawsuits have emerged, and food safety lawyer Bill Marler has advocated for a congressional inquiry into the situation.
