A well-known food safety attorney warns that additional illnesses are anticipated and that Congress should look into Boar’s Head after deli meats from one of its facilities were identified as the source of a current multi-state listeria outbreak.

This outbreak has resulted in at least 57 hospitalizations and nine fatalities across 18 states since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first flagged it on July 19. On August 28, the CDC reported six new fatalities associated with the outbreak, marking the first deaths in New Mexico, New York, South Carolina (2), and Tennessee.

According to Marler, the potential for more cases and fatalities remains high, as listeria has an incubation period that can exceed two months, meaning individuals who ingested contaminated deli meats in July may still become ill.

The CDC discovered that meats sliced at deli counters, such as Boar’s Head liverwurst, were contaminated with listeria and caused illness. In response, Boar’s Head extended its recall to cover every product produced at its Jarratt, Virginia facility.

Recently released inspection reports from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service indicated that inspectors had discovered insects, mold, and mildew at the plant in the twelve months leading up to its voluntary closure due to the outbreak.

“These are the most troubling inspection reports I’ve ever encountered,” Marler stated to YSL News.

Marler demands a congressional investigation into how the listeria outbreak occurred and why the substandard conditions at the plant were permitted for an extended period. He is representing the family of a deceased person and two others who fell ill due to the outbreak.

“It’s absurd. This facility was more efficient at spreading listeria than at processing meat. And what were the inspectors doing all this time?” he remarked to YSL News.

List of Boar’s Head deli meats recalled

The CDC’s findings revealed that deli meats, including Boar’s Head’s liverwurst, were tainted with listeria and responsible for illnesses.

In light of this discovery regarding the liverwurst, Boar’s Head announced on July 29 that it had “voluntarily opted to expand our recall to include all items produced at the same facility where our liverwurst is made. We undertook this thorough and precautionary recall of seven million pounds because we believed it was the responsible action.”

You can find a list of the recalled items below – and see the labels for the recalled products here.

Findings from federal inspectors at the Boar’s Head facility

Inspectors reported discovering both live and dead insects, along with significant amounts of black and green mold and mildew, at the plant weeks before Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. issued its July 26 recall of over 200,000 pounds of liverwurst due to listeria concerns.

In June 2024, inspectors noticed a “steady line of ants” along the wall, and in February 2024, they found “sizable puddles of blood on the floor” inside the plant’s Raw Receiving cooler, as well as a “noxious smell” in that area.

“It’s an easy choice for Congress, regardless of political party, to hold hearings on what led to this situation and why FSIS inspectors let this continue unchecked,” Marler stated.

In total, the Food Safety and Inspection Service submitted 69 reports of violations at the plant in the past year. These records were initially obtained by CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request, and YSL News has also requested the inspection documents and confirmed the reports independently.

Map displaying states impacted by the listeria outbreak

The CDC has reported nine fatalities and 57 illnesses across 18 states linked to a listeria outbreak involving deli meats.

The following map highlights the locations of the 57 individuals affected by the listeria outbreak. Deaths have occurred in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, and South Carolina (2).

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, YSL News