Boar's Head plant in tiny Jarratt, Va., will reopen soon, but the company's poor sanitation record remains a concern

Boar's Head positions itself as an upscale
company, but state inspections show many problems.

Boar's Head deli meat indefinitely closed its Jarratt, Virginia, plant last September after 10 people died and dozens were hospitalized after eating listeria-tainted liverwurst from the facility. The plant, which was the major employer in the small town of 600 residents, is now slated for reopening. But a closer look at other Boar's Head facilities reveals a troubling pattern.

Jonel Aleccia of The Associated Press reports, "Boar's Head plants in Arkansas, Indiana and elsewhere in Virginia have been flagged for the same kinds of sanitation problems that led to the outbreak, with the most recent report in June."

Inspections since the beginning of 2025 report problems with "meat and fat residue left on equipment and walls, drains blocked with meat products, beaded condensation on ceilings and floors, overflowing trash cans, and staff who didn’t wear protective hairnets and plastic aprons — or wash their hands," Aleccia reports. Similar conditions were repeatedly reported at the Jarratt plant prior to the nationwide listeria outbreak.

Recent inspection findings from Boar’s Head sites in Forrest City, Arkansas, New Castle, Indiana, and Petersburg, Virginia, "surprised outside food safety advocates who said that factory conditions should have improved," Aleccia explains. Instead, the reports "raise new questions about the company’s promises to address systemic problems."

Barbara Kowalcyk, who directs a food safety and nutrition security center at George Washington University, told Aleccia, "What jumped out to me is there is an organizational culture issue that needs to be changed. . . .Usually that culture has to start at the top.” 

Company officials refused to talk to the AP about the recent inspections, Aleccia reported.

Meanwhile, the USDA has lifted its forced suspension of the Jarratt facility, and the company is hiring for positions at the plant.