The deplorable conditions at the Boar’s Head plant linked to a fatal Listeria outbreak have triggered an internal investigation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS). The company is also the subject of a law enforcement probe, according to CBS News and other media outlets.
Do You Need a Listeria Lawyer?
USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong has opened an investigation into the agency’s handling of numerous food safety violations at Boar’s Head’s Jarrartt, VA plant where liverwurst linked to a deadly nationwide Listeria outbreak was made. Multiple violations occurred during the 24 months before the outbreak, which now includes 10 fatalities, with no meaningful corrective actions.
Virginia is one of 29 states that conduct inspections on behalf of USDA FSIS as part of the Talmadge-Aiken Cooperative Inspection Program. Boar’s Head’s Jarratt facility was inspected by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is supposed to coordinate with USDA FSIS.
Last month, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro asked USDA FSIS and the Department of Justice to consider criminal charges against the company.
“I welcome the Inspector General heeding my call for investigation of USDA’s abject failure to protect consumers against fatally contaminated Boar’s Head products,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “USDA took virtually no action—allowing Boar’s Head to continue business as usual at its chronically unsanitary Virginia plant—despite finding repeated serious violations. The Virginia plant should have been shut down years ago before people got sick or died from Listeria. The IG investigation is a vital first step to assure accountability and prevent such deadly mistakes from happening again.”
“I applaud USDA OIG Fong for opening an investigation to understand how the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) failed to act on repeated reports of ‘noncompliance’ with federal rules and poor facility conditions at Boar’s Head, ultimately leading to a recall of Listeria-contaminated products in which ten lives were lost. To prevent future food safety crises, we must get to the bottom of what went wrong,” DeLauro said.
The 19-state Listeria outbreak has sickened 59 people killing 10 of them, according to the most recent update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Experienced Listeria Lawyers
If you were sickened in this outbreak or if you suffered the wrongful death of a family member and would like a free consultation with our experienced team of Listeria lawyers, please contact us today by calling 888-377-8900 (toll-free), texting 612-261-0856, or by completing the form below.