CBS News – U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors turned up dozens of violations at a Boar’s Head plant in Virginia now linked to a nationwide recall of deli meats, according to new records released by the department, including mold, mildew and insects repeatedly found throughout the site.
Last month, Boar’s Head recalled all of the deli meats made at its plant in Jarratt, Virginia, after a listeria outbreak was blamed on products distributed from the site.
The outbreak has grown to 57 hospitalizations in 18 states linked to recalled products from the plant. At least nine deaths have now been reported, including two in South Carolina and one each in Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and New York.
“This is the largest listeriosis outbreak since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
Samples from unopened products distributed from the Boar’s Head plant were found by authorities in multiple states to be contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Genetic sequencing linked the bacteria from the products to the strain driving the outbreak.
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People are urged to double check their fridges for the recalled meats and to clean any surfaces that might have touched them.
“Consumers who were unaware of the recall may have eaten recalled products. People may also have a prolonged course of illness,” a spokesperson for South Carolina’s health department said in a statement following the new deaths.
Records released by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request tally 69 records of “noncompliances” flagged by the agency over the past year at the Jarratt plant.
It’s unclear whether Boar’s Head will face any penalties by the USDA for the repeat issues …
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