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 company permanently stopped making liverwurst and recalled 7 million pounds of deli products following the outbreak. Chief food safety officer Natalie Dyenson said the facility had been 'rebuilt from the inside out' and tested to ensure no contamination remains.
The US Agriculture Department confirmed federal inspectors are on site. However, recent inspections of another Boar's Head plant in Petersburg, Virginia, documented sanitation problems similar to those that may have contributed to the fatal outbreak.
Records released this week showed 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 findings sounded 'very disturbing' but said the company is working to cut noncompliance to zero.
Dyenson maintained that issues with liverwurst equipment, not dried food residue, led to the outbreak. The company has adopted a higher USDA standard requiring a 'kill step' in most finished products. Food safety advocates expressed concern that the Petersburg reports reflect a deeper cultural problem within the company.
