Current:Home > ContactExpect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says-VaTradeCoin
Expect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says
lotradecoin trading competition updates View Date:2024-12-25 23:43:23
A prominent food safety lawyer says more illnesses can be expected and Congress should investigate Boar's Head after deli meat produced in one of the company's plants was linked to an ongoingmultistate listeria outbreak.
The outbreak has led to at least 57 hospitalizations and nine deaths in 18 states since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially reported it on July 19. The CDC on Aug. 28 reported six new deaths connected to the outbreak including the first deaths in New Mexico, New York, South Carolina (2), and Tennessee.
There will likely be more illnesses, and possibly more deaths, because the incubation period for listeria may last more than two months, so people who consumed tainted deli meat in July could still develop illnesses, said Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who specializes in food safety.
The CDC's investigation found that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar's Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with listeria and made people sick. Subsequently, Boar's Head expanded its recall to include every product made at the facility in Jarratt, Virginia.
This week, inspection reports from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service revealed that inspectors found insects, mold and mildew at the plant over the 12 months before it was voluntarily shut down because of the outbreak.
"This is the worst set of inspection reports I have ever seen," Marler told USA TODAY.
Listeria outbreak map:See which 18 states have been affected by outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat
Congress should investigate how the listeria outbreak arose and why inspectors allowed the plant conditions to exist for so long, says Marler, who is representing the family of one person who died and two others who had illnesses in the outbreak.
"It's crazy. Not only was this plant better at producing listeria than it was at producing meat, but also, what were the inspectors doing?" he told USA TODAY.
Boar's Head list of recalled deli meats
The CDC says its data found that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar's Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with listeria and made people sick.
After a link was confirmed between the liverwurst and the outbreak, Boar's Head said on July 29 it "voluntarily decided to expand our recall to include every item produced at the same facility as our liverwurst. We enacted this broad and precautionary recall totaling seven million pounds because we believed it was the right thing to do."
A list of the recalled products is embedded below – and here's where to see labels ofrecalled products.
What did federal inspectors find at the Boar's Head plant?
Inspectors found insects – alive and dead – black and green mold, and mildew, within the plant in the weeks before Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc, issued a July 26 recall of more than 200,000 pounds of liverwurst due to potential listeria contamination.
In June 2024, inspectors also saw "a steady line of ants" on a wall and in February 2024 found "Ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor" in the plant's Raw Receiving cooler. "There was also a rancid smell in the cooler."
"It's a layup, whether you are a Republican or Democrat, to have congressional hearings on why this happened and why FSIS inspectors let this thing drag on," Marler said.
Overall, the Food Safety and Inspection Service filed 69 reports of "noncompliances" over the past year at the plant. The agency records were first obtained by CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request; USA TODAY has also made a request for the inspection documents and independently confirmed the reports.
Map shows which states are affected by listeria outbreak
The CDC reports nine people have died and 57 people have been sickened across 18 states by a listeria outbreak linked to sliced deli meat.
The following map shows where the 57 people in the listeria outbreak lived. Deaths occurred in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and South Carolina (2).
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
veryGood! (2)
Related
- A Malibu wildfire prompts evacuation orders and warnings for 20,000, including Dick Van Dyke, Cher
- Oklahoma is among teams moving up in top 10, while Texas tumbles in US LBM Coaches Poll
- Flights at Hamburg Airport in Germany suspended after a threat against a plane from Iran
- Simone Biles wins something more important than medals at world championships
- 'September 5' depicts shocking day when terrorism arrived at the Olympics
- At least 15 people have been killed in floods set off by heavy rains in Cameroon’s capital
- New York, New Jersey leaders condemn unprecedented Hamas attack in Israel
- A man was given a 72-year-old egg with a message on it. Social media users helped him find the writer.
- California judges say they’re underpaid, and their new lawsuit could cost taxpayers millions
- Clergy burnout is a growing concern in polarized churches. A summit offers coping strategies
Ranking
- China says Philippines has 'provoked trouble' in South China Sea with US backing
- Gal Gadot supports Israel amid Palestinian conflict, Bruno Mars cancels Tel Aviv show
- In a new picture book for kids, a lot of random stuff gets banned
- Students building bridges across the American divide
- 'The Later Daters': Cast, how to stream new Michelle Obama
- Juice Kiffin mocks Mario Cristobal for last-second gaffe against Georgia Tech
- Detroit Lions LB Alex Anzalone reveals his parents are trying to evacuate Israel amidst war
- The Asian Games wrap up, with China dominating the medal count
Recommendation
-
Trump taps immigration hard
-
Opinion polls show Australians likely to reject Indigenous Voice to Parliament at referendum
-
Dyson Flash Sale: Score $250 Off the V8 Animal Cordfree Vacuum
-
A surge in rail traffic on North Korea-Russia border suggests arms supply to Russia, think tank says
-
California judges say they’re underpaid, and their new lawsuit could cost taxpayers millions
-
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill aimed at limiting the price of insulin
-
'I just want her back': Israeli mom worries daughter taken hostage by Hamas militants
-
RBD regresa después de un receso de 15 años con un mensaje: El pop no ha muerto