Blumenthal Statement on Boar's Head Response Regarding Deadly Listeria Outbreak

[Hartford, CT] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Congressional colleagues received a response to the September 30 letter sent to Boar’s Head Provisions Company, Inc. (Boar’s Head) in which they demanded answers about the conditions at the Jarratt, Virginia plant at the center of a nationwide Listeria outbreak. Boar’s Head’s response failed to substantively answer key questions posed by Blumenthal.

“This Boar’s Head response is an insulting effort to blow off accountability. The public deserves answers, not these evasive dodges. The deadly Listeria outbreak killed 10 people and injured many more, but Boar’s Head refuses to provide any real response about their unsafe and negligent Virginia plant. Their ham-handed approach to a very serious health issue fails to take accountability for the outbreak, provide any clarity on actual plans to prevent a future outbreak, or ease the minds of consumers. With the time for action long overdue, Boar’s Head must at least own up to their actions and failures and provide a real response. I’ll continue to fight for answers and demand real responsibility from all involved in this deadly disaster,” said Blumenthal.

Boar’s Head failed to answer several questions raised in the September 30 letter, including:

• No confirmation if they plan to reopen the Virginia plant at the center of the Listeria outbreak 
• No clear commitment to improving plant’s infrastructure or explanation of how Boar’s Head plans to prevent non-compliances in the future
• No response explaining their past food safety policies
• No response on why staff did not act sooner to address food safety concerns or how management will be held accountable
• No response on the frequency Boar’s Head conducted microbial testing
• No response on testing data as requested
• No word if Boar’s Head tested non-contact food surfaces
• No response on whether third party inspections were conducted before the recall
• No response on how HQ handled food safety concerns prior to establishing the new Boar’s Head Food Safety Advisory Council
• Limited information on the documented steps of the recall

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced key reforms this week that were raised in the September 30 letter to the agency. Notable changes include:

• FSIS adding broader Listeria species testing to all samples of ready-to-eat product, environmental and food contact surfaces.
• FSIS updating its instructions and training for food safety inspectors to better equip the workforce to recognize and highlight systemic problems in a standardized way.
• FSIS field supervisors conducting in-person, follow-up visits when systemic issues are identified during a Food Safety Assessment.
• FSIS clarifying state and Federal requirements for consistent oversight of Talmadge-Aiken (TA) programs through updated cooperative agreements and instructions.

The USDA logged 69 instances of ‘noncompliance’ with federal rules at the Boar’s Head plant in the past year. U.S. inspectors also warned “that conditions at [the] Boar’s Head plant posed an ‘imminent threat’ to public health” two years prior to the outbreak.  This Listeria outbreak led to at least 60 hospitalizations and 10 deaths across 19 states.

Boar’s Head’s response is available here. The September 30 letter to Boar’s Head can be found here and the letter to the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) can be found here. FSIS has not yet responded.

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