Boar’s Head announced on Friday that it is “indefinitely” closing its Virginia deli plant, which has been linked to a fatal listeria outbreak. Liverwurst processing was the source of the contamination and will be permanently discontinued, the company added.
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The closure follows an extensive recall on July 30, when Boar’s Head expanded its recall of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products made at the Jarratt facility. The recall affected seven million pounds of deli meat, which covered about 71 products, including packaged items and meat for slicing at delis.
In July, the company began recalling its lunch meats after health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) traced nine deaths and 57 hospitalizations to products from the Jaratt plant. Later that month, Agriculture Department records showed that the plant’s listeria control measures were inadequate, and that it may have been operating under sanitary conditions. Production at the plant was paused shortly after.
“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,” Boar’s Head said in a statement.
Jonathan Williams, communications director for the United Food and Commercial Workers 400 Local Union, which represents about 500 plant workers, said the company will offer severance packages and or relocation options.
“It pains us to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees,” Boar’s Head said. The company added that it does not take “lightly our responsibility as one of the area’s largest employers,” and that it will “work to assist” each of its employees thorough the transition.
Boar’s Head said that closing the plant was the “most prudent course.” In response, the company plans to introduce a new safety council and will hire a chief food safety and quality assurance officer (CFSO), who report directly to the company president.
