USDA inspectors found dozens of violations at a Boar’s Head, Virginia, plant now linked to a nationwide deli meat recall, including mold and insects that were repeatedly found on the plant grounds, according to new records released by the department.
Last month, Boar’s Head recalled all deli meats made at its Jarratt, Virginia, plant after products distributed there were suspected to be contaminated with Listeria.
Fifty-seven people have been hospitalized in 18 states due to outbreaks linked to products recalled from the plant, and at least nine deaths have been reported so far, including two in South Carolina and one each in Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and New York.
“This is the largest outbreak of listeriosis since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe,” the Centers for Disease Control said in a statement Wednesday.
Authorities in multiple states found unopened product samples shipped from the Boar’s Head plant to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, and genetic sequencing linked the bacteria in the products to the strain that caused the outbreak.
People are being urged to double-check their refrigerators for any of the recalled meats and to clean any surfaces that may have come into contact with them.
“It is possible that consumers who were unaware of the recall may have eaten the recalled products and may have suffered long-term symptoms,” a South Carolina Department of Health spokesperson said in a statement following the new deaths.
According to records released to CBS News under the Freedom of Information Act by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the agency cited 69 instances of “non-compliance” at the Jarratt plant in the past year.
It’s unclear whether Boar’s Head will face any penalties from the USDA for its ongoing problems. Previous USDA reports have not indicated any “enforcement actions” have been taken against the company in the past year. A USDA spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Boar’s Head spokesman said in a statement that the company deeply regrets the impact of the recall and said food safety is the company’s “absolute priority.”
“As a USDA-inspected food manufacturer, the agency sends inspectors to our Jarratt, Virginia plant on a daily basis, and if they find any issues that need to be addressed, our team responds immediately, as was the case for all of the issues raised by the USDA in this report,” company spokeswoman Elizabeth Ward said.
All operations have been suspended at the Jarratt facility and the company is working to sanitize the facility and retrain employees, Ward said, and no products will leave the facility “until it meets the highest quality and safety standards.”
“During this time, we have partnered with leading global food safety experts to thoroughly investigate the events that led to this recall,” Ward said.
Aside from issues like incomplete paperwork and meat left on equipment, records show inspectors repeatedly noted mold and mildew growing around the facility in Jarratt, Boar’s Head.
In July, federal inspectors found what appeared to be mold around a sink where workers wash their hands after handling ready-to-eat meat.
Mold was also found growing on the outside of steel barrels used at the plant, as well as in storage coolers between smoke rooms on the property, according to previous records.
“A black mold-like substance was visible throughout the room at the joints between the walls and concrete, as well as caulking around the brick and metal,” they wrote in January, noting that some of the spots were “the size of a quarter.”
Elsewhere, there were numerous issues with leaks and pooling of water, including puddles with “green algae growing” inside and condensation “dripping onto stored products.”
After an inspector notified the company about one of the leaks, workers worked to clean it up.
“When the employee wiped it down a third time, the leak resumed within 10 seconds,” inspectors wrote in their report after condensation issues were reported July 27 near the fan, where liquid appeared to be spraying onto uncovered deli meats.
In addition to water, the USDA also accused the company of leaking other substances: In February, inspectors found “large amounts of blood in a puddle on the floor” and a “foul odor” permeating throughout a cooler used at the plant.
There have also been numerous documented sightings of insects in and around the plant’s processed meats, including one case in which authorities ordered more than 980 pounds of ham stored in a smokehouse hallway to be stamped with insect marks and “held” for investigation.
In June, records also emerged expressing concern about flies infesting a “pickle barrel” that Boar’s Head had left in the room.
“Small gnat-like insects were observed crawling up the walls and flying around the room. Large deposits of flesh were found on the walls of the room,” the researchers wrote.
Elsewhere in the facility, what appeared to be ants were found crawling down the walls, as well as beetles, cockroaches and other insects.
