(GoRealNewsNow.com) – Linked to a deadly nationwide listeria outbreak, health inspectors uncovered a series of alarming violations at the Boar’s Head plant in Jarratt, Virginia.
Such violations included bugs, pools of blood on the floor, and mold growing on equipment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deli meats from this Boar’s Head factory were recalled last month after the plant was identified as the source of the listeria outbreak, which has caused 57 hospitalizations and at least nine deaths.
New York has been hit the hardest, with 17 residents falling ill from the tainted deli meats. Deaths have occurred in South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, and New Mexico.
Moreover, the company pulled more than 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products as infections spread across 18 states.
A Boar’s Head spokesperson said in a statement, “We deeply regret the impact this recall has had on affected families. No words can fully express our sympathies and the sincere and deep hurt we feel for those who have suffered losses or endured illness.”
In addition, customers and businesses are urged to check their refrigerators and stores for any of the recalled products and thoroughly clean any surfaces that may have come into contact with the meats.
Beyond the bacterial contamination, USDA records reported the Jarratt plant received 69 records of “noncompliance” from inspectors over the past year.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service records revealed disturbing conditions.
During a February visit, an inspector noted a “rancid smell” in the raw receiving cooler with “ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor.”
On January 9, a “black mold-like substance” was spotted in another holding cooler. On June 1, the same mold was found on the outside of four steel vats, along with one to two inches of meat buildup.
On June 10, an inspector saw “approximately 15-20 flies … going in and out of 4 vats of pickle left in the room.”
“Small flying gnat-like insects were observed crawling on the walls and flying around the room,” the inspector reported. The room’s walls were noted to have “heavy meat buildup, pink/orange discoloration, and denaturant overspray on them.”
Since the July recall, all operations at the Jarratt plant have been suspended. Boar’s Head is working with food safety experts to determine the cause of the outbreak and the conditions that led to it.
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