Boar’s Head closes Virginia plant at center of listeria scandal

Boar’s Head is closing the Virginia plant at the center of a deadly listeria outbreak, in a move the company describes as “a dark moment in our company’s history.”

The delicatessen will also permanently stop producing liverwurst, a product responsible for the scandal in July that left nine people dead and another 57 hospitalized.

“Given the severity of the outbreak and the fact that it originated in Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this site, which has not been operational since late July 2024,” Boar’s Head said in a statement Friday.

According to the New York Times, the closure will affect up to 200 workers at the plant.

The contamination was specifically caused in the liver sausage production process at the Jarratt plant, and no other products were affected

“It pains us to see the lives of hundreds of hardworking employees affected. We do not take our responsibility as one of the largest employers in the region lightly.

“But under these circumstances, we believe that a plant closure is the most prudent choice. We will work to support all of our employees through the transition process.”

The contamination was specifically caused in the liver sausage production process at the Jarratt factory. No other products were contaminated.

This led to a massive recall on July 26 due to concerns about listeria, including liverwurst produced between June 11 and July 17.

The outbreak was later linked to nine deaths and 57 hospitalizations in 18 states.

Above is the Jarratt, Virginia plant, the center of the Listeria outbreak

The factory described the incident and subsequent decision to close as a “dark moment in the history of our company.”

Boar’s Head promised to use this as a lesson and “an opportunity to improve food safety… for the entire industry.”

On July 31, the Department of Agriculture sent a suspension notice to the plant, announcing that “federal inspection marks would be revoked and production of ready-to-eat products would be suspended.”

The notice found that the facility was “unable to maintain sanitary conditions.”

Reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service show the $1 billion company was warned about 69 violations at its Jarratt, Virginia, plant last year.

Concerns were raised before Boar’s Head Deli Meat caused the largest listeria outbreak in the U.S. in more than a decade, contaminating dozens of products.

The map above shows the states where illnesses linked to the listeria outbreak in processed meats have been reported

This is the exterior of the factory, which is now closed indefinitely

In one report, inspectors said they saw flies flying in and out of a barrel of pickles, while a trail of ants crawled along the nearby walls.

Inspectors also described how mold and mildew had developed on surfaces and that there was a “rancid odor” in some parts of the factory and that parts of the floor were covered in “extensive blood.”

It was the largest foodborne illness outbreak in the U.S. since the 2011 cantaloupe outbreak, when listeria-contaminated cantaloupe sickened 147 people and killed 33.

Among the dead was Gunter Morgenstein, a father of three and Holocaust survivor who regularly ate the company’s liverwurst because it reminded him of his native Germany.