Boar's Head announced Friday it was closing a manufacturing plant in Jarratt, Virginia, linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak this summer.
In the release The company said on its website that it was investigating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) after at least nine people died and more than 60 became ill from Listeria infections linked to liverwurst products at the plant.
Jarratt processing plant was temporarily closed after an outbreak and Boar's Head recalled £7 million of product after reports of an outbreak.
But on Friday, Boar's Head said it had “made the difficult decision to close this store indefinitely” given the severity of the outbreak.
“We are heartbroken to see the impact this will have on the livelihoods of hundreds of hardworking employees, and as the region's largest employer we do not take our responsibilities lightly,” the company wrote. “However, under these circumstances we believe closing the plant is the most prudent course of action.”
Boar's Head said in a statement that an investigation had determined that the root cause of the outbreak was a specific manufacturing process for its products and that the company would “permanently cease production of liverwurst.”
The USDA released non-compliance reports for the Jarratt plant going back two years, showing the plant posed an “imminent threat.” Other violations included rusted equipment, green mold on walls, live beetles in hallways, dirt, screws and trash in production areas, according to the records.
Boar's Head acknowledged the breach in a statement and said it “makes no excuses.” The investigation had “exhausted all avenues at Jarratt,” the company said.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service said it is investigating Listeria outbreaks and conditions at facilities across the country and is looking to see if there are lessons that can be applied more broadly to prepared meat and poultry processing facilities nationwide.
Boar's Head said it was immediately implementing a number of quality measures to prevent future incidents. The company said it was appointing a new Chief Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer, developing a food safety and quality assurance program and establishing the Boar's Head Food Safety Council, made up of independent industry safety experts.
“While this is a dark moment in our company's history, we intend to use this as an opportunity to strengthen our food safety programs, not just at our company but across the industry,” Boars Head said.
