Overview

• The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service lifted the forced suspension of the Jarratt, Virginia plant on July 18, clearing the facility to reopen in the coming months.
• Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal sanitation problems at Boar’s Head plants in Virginia, Arkansas and Indiana from January through June, including meat residue, blocked drains and beaded condensation on food-contact surfaces.
• Last year’s multistate listeria outbreak traced to the Jarratt plant killed 10 people, sickened dozens and prompted the recall of more than 7 million pounds of deli meats and the permanent discontinuation of liverwurst production.
• Boar’s Head has convened a panel of expert advisers, hired a chief food safety officer in May and posted two dozen food safety positions at the Jarratt site as part of its overhaul.
• Food safety advocates and former USDA officials warn that recurring noncompliance findings suggest systemic culture problems that require stronger regulatory oversight and corporate transparency.