CNN
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Boar’s Head will close the Virginia plant that produced deli meat linked to a deadly listeria outbreak, the company said Friday.

The move is part of several changes made following a “dark moment in our company’s history.” Boar’s Head announced it will permanently stop selling liverwurst after an investigation found the production process was the root cause of the listeria contamination. The company will also implement a company-wide food safety program, appoint a new food safety officer and establish a food safety council of independent industry experts, including former officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

“We remain committed to our customers and to the safety and quality of our products,” the company said in a letter to consumers. “We are determined to learn from this experience and emerge stronger.”

The Boar’s Head plant in Jarratt, Virginia, has been out of operation since July, when the recall of liver sausage was first announced and later expanded to include all products manufactured at the plant.

Reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service from the plant since 2022 have reported insects, mold, “blood in pools on the floor” and a “rancid odor in the cold room” at various locations. Another report from 2022 cited “serious deficiencies” in the physical conditions of the plant – rusty equipment, peeling and flaking paint, loose sealant, holes in the walls, product residue on surfaces and dripping condensation – that posed an “imminent threat.” The reports say plant management was notified and instructed to take corrective action.

But a suspension notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the Virginia plant, shared by Boar’s Head on Friday, cites “inadequate” controls and sanitation measures that have led to equipment and employees moving around the facility, potentially spreading bacteria.

“Given the severity of the outbreak and the fact that it originated in Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this site, which has been out of operation since late July 2024,” the company said in the letter. “We are pained to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees. We do not take our responsibilities as one of the region’s largest employers lightly. But under these circumstances, we believe a plant closure is the wisest course of action.”

The FSIS said this week that its investigation will include a “holistic look at Boar’s Head facilities across the country” and that it will learn lessons that are “more generally applicable to ready-to-eat meat and poultry processing facilities.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 57 people have been hospitalized and nine people have died in connection with the Boar’s Head Listeria outbreak in 18 states. The agency called the outbreak the largest since the 2011 outbreak linked to a cantaloupe melon.

The actual number of illnesses is likely higher than reported because some people may have had milder illnesses and were not tested for listeria, the CDC said. The agency continues to advise consumers to check their kitchens for recalled products that have “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” within the USDA inspection mark on labels and have a best-before date of October 2024.

Listeria bacteria cause listeriosis, the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States. Symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, and fatigue. Infection may also cause a stiff neck, headache, confusion, or seizures.