Boar’s Head products contaminated with listeria bacteria have now killed 10 people, the Centers for Disease Control has confirmed. The deaths are part of an ongoing outbreak linked to some Boar’s Head deli meats that began this summer. At least 59 people have been hospitalized after eating the Boar’s Head products. One of the patients became ill while pregnant, and remained pregnant following their recovery from the food poisoning.
The recall list includes 71 products sold under Boar’s Head as well as Old Country brand names. The potentially contaminated items were manufactured between May 10 and July 29, and these products might still be in some household refrigerators or freezers. “Everyone should check their homes for any remaining recalled Boar’s Head products since they can have [a long] shelf life,” the CDC cautioned. “Look for ‘EST. 12612’ or ‘P-12612’ inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels.”
The tainted products were found to be manufactured at the Jarratt plant in Virginia, a facility that has been given regularly cited for unsanitary conditions over the last two years. The USDA ordered the suspension of the plant’s operations due to 69 instances of noncompliance with food safety regulations.
The agency found mold and mildew in employee handwashing stations, on steel vats and in holding coolers. In other locations in the facility, leaking water had created pools with green algal growth. Condensation was found to be dripping over some of the products”. Inspectors also discovered a large amount of blood in puddles on the floor as well as a rancid smell in one coolers. Insect infestations such as “gnat-like insects” and “ants traveling down the wall were also observed.
“In response to the inspection records and noncompliance reports at the Jarratt plant, we will not make excuses”, Boar’s Head said in a September 13 statement. “Given the seriousness of the outbreak, and the fact that it originated at Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this location, which has not been operational since late July 2024”.
Listeria is particularly dangerous to people who age 65 or older, pregnant, or with a weakened immune system. In the United States, listeriosis is the third-leading cause of death among food-borne illnesses. Symptoms usually include muscle aches, extreme tiredness and fever. Infections during pregnancy can result in loss of pregnancy or preterm birth.
Full Story: HealthDay
