Boar’s Head Provisions will no longer make liverwurst and is closing the Virginia facility at the center of a listeria outbreak that killed nine people and hospitalized at least 57 in 18 states, the deli meat producer announced Friday.
“We understand the seriousness of this situation and the profound impact it has had on affected families. Comprehensive measures are being implemented to prevent such an incident from ever happening again,” the company said in a statement on its website.
The Jarratt, Virginia, facility has not been operating since late July, when the company recalled millions of pounds of deli meat products after listeria was detected in liverwurst produced at the facility.
Inspectors showed up dozens of violations at the facility, the setting for the nation’s largest listeriosis outbreak since one linked to cantaloupe in 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Federal inspectors cited the plant repeatedly after finding leftover meat on equipment, mold and mildew, insects in and around deli meats, and pools of blood on the facility floor.
The company’s investigation found that the process used to make liverwurst is behind the contamination and has therefore decided to no longer manufacture the product at any of its facilities, Boar’s Head said.
About 500 unionized workers are affected by the company’s decision to close the plant, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers, the union that represents them.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can spread through water, mist, on workers’ clothing and hands, and improperly sanitized equipment. In 2002, a listeria outbreak in turkey meat was linked to eight deaths and three “fetal deaths” among pregnant women, according to a account published by the National Library of Medicine.
The USDA has a zero-tolerance policy for listeria in finished meats, meaning that any amount of contamination makes the product unsafe for consumption.
In addition to meats, the privately owned Boar’s Head brand, which started in 1905, includes cheeses, hummus and condiments.