Boar’s Head processing facilities across the country are now part of an ongoing law enforcement investigation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed Thursday, in the wake of a deadly outbreak blamed on some of the company’s now-recalled deli meats.
At least 59 hospitalizations and 10 deaths have been linked to one listeria strain traced back to Boar’s Head products distributed from a now stopped facility the company operated in Virginia.
Boar’s Head factory in Virginia had been written up dozens of times by inspectors over violations, CBS News first reported in August, based on data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Violations flagged at the facility by agriculture officials included mold and insects found throughout the site.
The USDA disclosed the existence of the probe in a letter Thursday, when it denied a CBS News request for records about Boar’s Head’s other facilities in Michigan, Arkansas and Indiana.
Because the documents are “compiled for law enforcement purposes,” the department said releasing them “may impede the government’s ability to further control and shape the investigation.”
“Given the ongoing investigation into this matter, FSIS is withholding 93 pages in its entirety,” they wrote.
The reveal comes on the same day as one letter by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, both Connecticut Democrats, to the USDA and the Justice Department, urging them to consider prosecution of the company.
“The time for action is long overdue, and we urge your agencies to work together to seek immediate justice for affected consumers and to prevent this from happening again,” they wrote.
It is unclear whether the investigation is a criminal or civil investigation. An FSIS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Boar’s Head declined to comment, saying the company does not comment on legal matters.