Boar’s Head faces class action, plant inspection following recall

Boar’s Head recall, class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Boar’s Head initiated and later expanded a deli meat recall connected to an ongoing nationwide listeria outbreak. 
• Why: The CDC linked the listeria outbreak to deli meat produced at a Boar’s Head plant in Jarratt, Virginia.
• Where: The Boar’s Head deli meat recall affects consumers nationwide.

Consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Boar’s Head over a deli meat recall the company initiated in July. Boar’s Head also received a negative report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service regarding its Virginia facility.

The company issued and later expanded the recall in the wake of an ongoing outbreak of listeria monocytogenes linked to deli meat produced by Boar’s Head at its now-temporarily closed Jarratt, Virginia plant. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first connected the listeria outbreak to deli meat in late July. At that time, it warned consumers not to eat deli meats sliced at deli counters without reheating them to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Inspection finds dozens of violations at Virginia Boar’s Head plant

Inspectors with the FSIS found dozens of violations at Boar’s Head’s Jarratt, Virginia plant when examining the facility last month. 

The inspection revealed mold, mildew and insects throughout the facility, which the agency says will remain closed until it is able to produce safe products.

Boar’s Head expanded its recall last month to comprise all deli meats produced at the Virginia plant, including various types of ham, sausage, bacon, bologna, and pork and beef frankfurters purchased prior to July 31. 

The decision to expand the deli meat recall came after the Department of Agriculture informed Boar’s Head it linked the company’s Strassburger-brand liverwurst to the nationwide listeria outbreak.

At that time, Boar’s Head said it made the decision to expand the recallout of an abundance of caution and paused ready-to-eat operations at the Jarrett, Virginia plant until further notice.

Boar’s Head deli meat recall linked to nine deaths across 18 US states

The CDC linked Boar’s Head deli meat and the subsequent listeria outbreak to 57 hospitalizations and nine deaths across 18 states as of Aug. 28. 

The deaths include two individuals in South Carolina and one each in the states of Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, New Jersey, Florida, New Mexico and New York. 

The South Carolina Department of Public Health urged residents in the state to avoid eating the recalled Boar’s Head deli meat in the wake of the two deaths. 

Boar’s Head failed to disclose recalled meats contained listeria, class action claims

A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Boar’s Head in early August over claims the company failed to disclose that the meat products included in its recall were contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. 

The class action lawsuit argues consumers could not have known about the contamination on their own and that Boar’s Head improperly, deceptively and misleadingly labeled and marketed the products to consumers by allegedly omitting and failing to disclose the listeria contamination. 

“Defendant is using a marketing and advertising campaign that omits from the packaging that the products contain listeria monocytogenes,” the Boar’s Head class action says. 

The consumer behind the complaint wants to represent a nationwide class and subclass of New York individuals who bought any of the Boar’s Head deli meat products included in its recall and named in the class action. 

Were you affected by the Boar’s Head deli meat recall? Let us know in the comments.

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