New inspection records reveal years of sanitation and maintenance failures at Boar's Head's Jarrett, Virginia plant before a 2024 listeria outbreak that sickened 61 people and caused 10 deaths. Inspectors repeatedly found standing water, mold, insects, leaking pipes, product residue and cross-contamination risks across reports from 2019 through 2024. The company recalled over 7 million pounds of product, temporarily closed the plant and permanently stopped making liverwurst nationwide. The findings underscore the public-health dangers of persistent facility problems and the need for stronger controls and oversight.
Inspection Records Expose Years Of Sanitation Failures At Boar's Head Virginia Plant Before Deadly 2024 Listeria Outbreak
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Newly released inspection records show persistent sanitation and maintenance failures at Boar's Head's Jarrett, Virginia, facility in the years leading up to a deadly 2024 listeria outbreak. Taken together, the documents suggest systemic problems rather than an isolated lapse.
What Inspectors Found
A series of reports — including a detailed 23-page dossier covering June 2023 to July 2024 and earlier assessments dating back to 2019 — document repeated issues across the plant, which dates to 1974 and measures roughly 219,000 square feet. Inspectors cited:
- Standing water, algae and leaking pipes
- Dripping condensation and condensate over production areas
- Black mold and other mold growth
- Live and dead insects and other signs of pest activity
- Product residue and blood on floors and food-contact surfaces
- Inedible product that was not properly labeled or denatured
- Insufficient controls to prevent cross-contamination when employees moved between lines
Regulatory Warnings
"Major deficiencies associated with the establishment's physical conditions were observed that could cause imminent threat to product," read a 2022 inspector's warning summarizing earlier findings.
In a July 31, 2024 report, an FSIS inspector noted: "Your establishment does not have a written plan to describe employee practices and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when moving between lines."
Despite one October 2024 FSIS note that "No consumer complaints have been documented for this establishment for the past year," the body of inspection records shows recurring, unaddressed sanitation risks.
Public-Health Impact And Company Response
The listeria outbreak tied to the facility sickened 61 people across 19 states and resulted in 10 deaths. Listeria is particularly dangerous for older adults, pregnant people, newborns and those with weakened immune systems, and it thrives in wet, unsanitary conditions — the kinds repeatedly observed at the Jarrett plant.
In response to the outbreak and findings, Boar's Head recalled more than 7 million pounds of product, temporarily closed the Jarrett facility, and permanently stopped producing liverwurst nationwide.
Why This Matters
Repeated failures to remove standing water, clear residue from food-contact surfaces and resolve structural and pest-control problems increase the risk of contamination and serious illness, raise potential healthcare costs and undermine consumer confidence. The records highlight the need for thorough corrective action, stronger oversight and clear written procedures (including PPE and employee-movement protocols) to prevent cross-contamination.
What’s next: Consumers, regulators and the company will likely continue monitoring remediation steps and any further recalls or enforcement actions. The inspection records raise questions about how persistent sanitation problems persisted for years without effective resolution.
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