Current:Home > InvestExpect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says -WealthMindset Learning
Expect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says
View
Date:2025-04-15 15:41:43
A prominent food safety lawyer says more illnesses can be expected and Congress should investigate Boar's Head after deli meat produced in one of the company's plants was linked to an ongoingmultistate listeria outbreak.
The outbreak has led to at least 57 hospitalizations and nine deaths in 18 states since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially reported it on July 19. The CDC on Aug. 28 reported six new deaths connected to the outbreak including the first deaths in New Mexico, New York, South Carolina (2), and Tennessee.
There will likely be more illnesses, and possibly more deaths, because the incubation period for listeria may last more than two months, so people who consumed tainted deli meat in July could still develop illnesses, said Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who specializes in food safety.
The CDC's investigation found that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar's Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with listeria and made people sick. Subsequently, Boar's Head expanded its recall to include every product made at the facility in Jarratt, Virginia.
This week, inspection reports from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service revealed that inspectors found insects, mold and mildew at the plant over the 12 months before it was voluntarily shut down because of the outbreak.
"This is the worst set of inspection reports I have ever seen," Marler told USA TODAY.
Listeria outbreak map:See which 18 states have been affected by outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat
Congress should investigate how the listeria outbreak arose and why inspectors allowed the plant conditions to exist for so long, says Marler, who is representing the family of one person who died and two others who had illnesses in the outbreak.
"It's crazy. Not only was this plant better at producing listeria than it was at producing meat, but also, what were the inspectors doing?" he told USA TODAY.
Boar's Head list of recalled deli meats
The CDC says its data found that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar's Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with listeria and made people sick.
After a link was confirmed between the liverwurst and the outbreak, Boar's Head said on July 29 it "voluntarily decided to expand our recall to include every item produced at the same facility as our liverwurst. We enacted this broad and precautionary recall totaling seven million pounds because we believed it was the right thing to do."
A list of the recalled products is embedded below – and here's where to see labels ofrecalled products.
What did federal inspectors find at the Boar's Head plant?
Inspectors found insects – alive and dead – black and green mold, and mildew, within the plant in the weeks before Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc, issued a July 26 recall of more than 200,000 pounds of liverwurst due to potential listeria contamination.
In June 2024, inspectors also saw "a steady line of ants" on a wall and in February 2024 found "Ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor" in the plant's Raw Receiving cooler. "There was also a rancid smell in the cooler."
"It's a layup, whether you are a Republican or Democrat, to have congressional hearings on why this happened and why FSIS inspectors let this thing drag on," Marler said.
Overall, the Food Safety and Inspection Service filed 69 reports of "noncompliances" over the past year at the plant. The agency records were first obtained by CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request; USA TODAY has also made a request for the inspection documents and independently confirmed the reports.
Map shows which states are affected by listeria outbreak
The CDC reports nine people have died and 57 people have been sickened across 18 states by a listeria outbreak linked to sliced deli meat.
The following map shows where the 57 people in the listeria outbreak lived. Deaths occurred in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and South Carolina (2).
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
veryGood! (2378)
Related
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Tropical Storm Lee forms in Atlantic, forecast to become major hurricane heading to the Caribbean
- YSE Beauty by Molly Sims Is Celebrity Skincare That’s Made for You
- Alexander Payne makes ‘em like they used to: Fall Movie Preview
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Person trapped at the bottom of 100-foot California ravine rescued after 5 days
- Minnesota seeks unifying symbol to replace state flag considered offensive to Native Americans
- Voters concerned with Biden's economy, Smash Mouth's Steve Harwell dies: 5 Things podcast
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Russia says southeast Ukraine is now the main focus of fighting in the war
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- 23 people injured after driver crashes car into Denny’s restaurant in Texas
- Delaware man who police blocked from warning drivers of speed trap wins $50,000 judgment
- TV anchor Ruschell Boone, who spotlighted NYC’s diverse communities, dies of pancreatic cancer at 48
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Kidney transplants usually last 10 to 15 years. Hers made it 50, but now it's wearing out.
- Shohei Ohtani to have 'some type of procedure,' but agent says he'll remain two-way star
- How RHOSLC Star Jen Shah's Family Is Doing Since She Began Her 5-Year Prison Sentence
Recommendation
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
Russia says southeast Ukraine is now the main focus of fighting in the war
Alaska couple reunited with cat 26 days after home collapsed into river swollen by glacial outburst
3 lifelong Beatles fans seek to find missing Paul McCartney guitar and solve greatest mystery in rock and roll
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
Georgia Ports Authority pledges $6 million for affordable housing in Savannah area
Clear skies expected to aid 'exodus' after rain, mud strands thousands: Burning Man updates
Trump’s comments risk tainting a jury in federal election subversion case, special counsel says