A Boar's Head deli meat plant in Jarratt, Virginia, has resumed limited operations, nearly 17 months after being shut down over a listeria outbreak that killed 10 people and sickened dozens in 2024. The facility reopened on Monday after undergoing a complete overhaul, according to the company.
Boar's Head, based in Sarasota, Florida, permanently stopped making liverwurst and recalled 7 million pounds of deli products following the outbreak. The company's chief food safety officer, Natalie Dyenson, said the facility has been “literally been rebuilt from the inside out,” with new floors, drains, air filtration systems, and separate production areas for raw and ready-to-eat food. Nearly 12,000 swabs were taken to test for listeria, and new management and staff were hired.
However, recent inspection reports from another Boar's Head plant in Petersburg, Virginia, have raised concerns. Records released to the Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request detailed dozens of noncompliance reports between July and December 2025, including dripping condensation, meat residue on equipment and in drains, and failure to follow listeria testing procedures. Dyenson acknowledged the reports “sound very disturbing” but said the company is working to reduce noncompliance to zero. She maintained that specific problems with liverwurst equipment, not dried residue, caused the deadly outbreak.
Food safety advocates expressed scepticism about rebuilding consumer trust. Brian Ronholm of Consumer Reports said the Petersburg reports “highlight a deeper food safety cultural problem within the company.” Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, called for accountability, noting that Boar's Head refused to appear before the Congressional Food Safety Caucus. The company faces multiple lawsuits from victims and families, some of whom have settled with nondisclosure agreements.
