Listeria recalls and outbreak timeline
As of Sept. 23, 2024, 59 people from 19 states have reported hospitalization for Listeria infection. Ten of those individuals died.
Photo credit: CDC
The recent Listeria monocytogenes outbreak related to Boar’s Head deli meat has greatly impacted the food industry. On July 19, 2024, the CDC reported it was investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections. At the time, 28 people from 12 states reported infection and were hospitalized.
A few days later, the Maryland Department of Public Health discovered Listeria in a Boar's Head liverwurst product. This led Boar’s Head to issue an initial recall for more than 207,528 pounds of product. At the time, the company recalled all liverwurst product produced by its establishment in Jarratt, Va., between June 11 and July 17, 2024, as well as additional deli meat products that were produced on the same line and on the same day as the liverwurst.
On July 29, the USDA shut down the facility linked to the outbreak, located in Jarratt, Va. A day later, whole genome sequencing confirmed that a liverwurst sample collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. This prompted Boar’s Head to expand its initial recall for deli meats to include all products that were produced in its Jarratt, Va., facility. This expansion includes 71 products produced between May 10 and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. The recall expansion added 7 million pounds of product to the initial Boar’s Head recall.
On Sept. 13, Boar’s Head decided to permanently shut down the Jarratt, Va., facility, which had not been operational since two months prior. In a company statement, Boar’s Head said it would create an enhanced companywide food safety and QA program, appoint a new chief food safety and quality assurance officer and establish a Boar’s Head Food Safety Council comprised of independent food safety experts.
As of Sept. 23, 2024, 59 people from 19 states have reported hospitalization for Listeria infection. Ten of those individuals died. According to the CDC, those infected had ages ranging from 32 to 95 years, with a median age of 77.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) have urged the USDA and Justice Department to hold Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc. accountable for the Listeria outbreak tied to liverwurst deli meat produced at the Boar's Head Jarratt, Va., plant. Blumenthal urged the USDA to work with the Justice Department to determine whether to bring criminal charges against Boar’s Head for their responsibility in the outbreak. Both senators urged the USDA to investigate other Boar’s Head locations for safety violations. Law firm Marler Clark has filed multiple lawsuits against Boar's Head related to the Listeria outbreak, including one suit seeking $10M in compensation and punitive damages, as well as multiple wrongful death lawsuits.
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