The meat processing plant in Boar's Head, Virginia, the site of an outbreak of deadly Listeria monocytogenes infections, announced Friday it would close “indefinitely.”
Boar's Head will also stop producing a liverwurst product after it tested positive for Listeria, which killed nine people and hospitalized 57 after eating the sausage this summer.
“Our investigation revealed that the root cause of the contamination was a specific production process that was only present at the Jarratt plant. [Viriginia] “The facility was used exclusively for liverwurst and, following these discoveries, we have decided to permanently cease production of liverwurst,” Boar's Head said in a statement. Website Statement.
The Jarratt plant, which employed about 500 people, closed in July after Boar's Head recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli meats and cheeses made at the facility.
“As one of the region's largest employers, we do not take our responsibility lightly,” Boars Head said in a statement, “but under these circumstances we believe closing the plant is the most prudent course of action.”
Inspection reports from state and USDA officials over the past year found 69 instances of unsanitary conditions, including mold, flying insects, condensation, clogged drains, “foul odors” and rusty equipment, The Washington Post reported. Food safety experts question how such conditions could have continued for so long.
The USDA suspended operations at the facility on July 31 for failing to maintain sanitary conditions, according to a seven-page report Boar's Head posted on its website Friday.
“This is a dark moment in our company's history,” the 119-year-old family-owned business said.
This is the largest listeriosis outbreak since the cantaloupe-linked outbreak in 2011.
Boar's Head said it is also implementing new food and safety measures at its other facilities, including appointing a new chief food safety officer.
The company faces multiple lawsuits from families who lost loved ones, as well as from victims who ate the tainted products and fell into comas and are still recovering from illnesses.
New York has seen the most cases, with 17 residents infected by tainted deli meat.
Two people died in South Carolina and one each in New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee and New Mexico.
Supermarket executives told the Post that it will be a while before consumers trust the iconic brand again, and spoke of nervous shoppers buying other brands.
