PLANT SANITATION/EMPLOYEE TRAINING FAILED         

Six more deaths linked to Boar's Head listeria outbreak

Boar's Head plant in Virginia faced nearly 70 violations

Daniella Genovese By Daniella Genovese FOX Business

Boar's Head recalls 7 million pounds of deli meat linked to listeria outbreak

New Yorkers are feeling the pinch in their pocketbooks after a listeria outbreak has affected 7 million pounds of cold cuts. (Credit: WNYW)

The death toll has risen in the listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, according to federal health officials. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared this the largest listeria outbreak since 2011, when the bacteria were linked to cantaloupe. 

About 14 more illnesses and six more deaths have been reported since early August as the outbreak tied to the meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar's Head brand liverwurst, persisted, according to the CDC's latest update published Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, 57 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of listeria across 18 states, all of whom have been hospitalized. This includes a pregnant woman from Minnesota suing Boar's Head after she claims she "nearly lost her unborn child" when infected by listeria after eating the company's deli meat sold at a Publix supermarket in Florida.

Nine people have died – one in Illinois, one in New Jersey, one in Virginia, one in Florida, one in Tennessee, one in New Mexico, one in New York and two in South Carolina, the CDC said. 

BOAR'S HEAD RECALLS 7 MILLION POUNDS OF DELI MEAT AFTER BEING LINKED TO LISTERIA OUTBREAK

The CDC reported that epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback data revealed that meats sliced at delis, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, are contaminated with listeria and making people sick. Health authorities in multiple states reported that unopened Boar's Head products had tested positive for the same strain that is making people sick in the outbreak.

Over the past year, health investigators discovered nearly 70 violations at the Boar's Head plant in Virginia where it produces the now-recalled meat, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service records obtained by CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The records of "noncompliance's" flagged at the Jarratt plant by the USDA inspectors include paperwork lapses, leftover meat on equipment and leaking or pooling water. 

BOAR'S HEAD RECALL: WOMAN FILES CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST DELI COMPANY

The company was cited several times for mold or mildew building up around the company's facilities as well as for insects in and around the deli meats at the plant, according to the documents. 

Boar's Head recall

In January, inspectors even noted that there was a "black mold like substance" seen throughout a room. 

The USDA did not respond to FOX Business about whether the company has faced any enforcement actions stemming from the violations. 

Boar's Head told CBS that all operations have been suspended at the plant and that no more products will be released until the plant "meets the highest quality and safety standards."

In a statement on its website, Boar's Head said after it was notified that a sample of Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, it immediately recalled the item "along with nine other items produced on the same production line and on the same day as our liverwurst."

"Once our liverwurst was linked to the deli meat outbreak, we took immediate and decisive action," the company said. "In the interest of public health and safety, we took the extra precautionary step to recall every item produced at the plant where our liverwurst was made. We enacted this broad and precautionary recall because we believed it was the right thing to do."

The company said all Boar’s Head items currently available in food retail and food service outlets have not been recalled and are not part of this outbreak. 

 

10 Dangerous Food Safety Mistakes

Español (Spanish) | Kreyòl (Creole)

Print

We all want to keep our families safe and healthy. But sometimes a simple mistake in how we handle and prepare food can lead to serious sickness. With some germs like Salmonella, just a small amount in undercooked food is enough to cause food poisoning. And just a tiny taste of food with botulism toxin can cause paralysis and even death.

You can protect your family by avoiding these mistakes.

Mistake #1: Not cooking meat, chicken, turkey, 

seafood, or eggs thoroughly

Why It’s a Mistake: Undercooked foods may have germs 

that can make you sick.

Solution: Use a food thermometer to make sure you cook food to a safe internal temperature.

Get a detailed list of foods and safe temperatures. Also, if you won’t be serving hot food right away, keep it hot (at 140°F or above) until serving.

Mistake #2: Eating raw batter or dough, including cookie dough, 
and other foods with uncooked eggs or uncooked flour

Why It’s a Mistake: Uncooked flour and eggs may contain

 E. coli, Salmonella, or other harmful bacteria.

Solution: Cook or bake flour and eggs thoroughly. Don’t eat foods that contain raw or undercooked eggs, such as runny eggs, homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, and eggnog. Don’t eat raw (uncooked) dough or batter that contains contains flour or eggs. Keep raw dough away from children, including play dough. Wash hands, work surfaces, and utensils thoroughly after contact with flour, raw eggs, and raw dough.

Mistake #3: Thawing or marinating food on the counter

Why It’s a Mistake: Harmful germs can multiply very 

quickly at room temperature.

Solution: Thaw food safely. You can thaw it:

• In the refrigerator,
• In cold water, or
• In the microwave.

Always marinate food in the refrigerator no matter what kind of marinade you’re using.

Mistake #4: Leaving food out too long before putting it in the fridge

Why It’s a Mistake: Harmful germs can grow in

 perishable foods (including meat, chicken, 

turkey, seafood, eggs, cut fruit, cooked rice, 

and leftovers) if you leave them out of the 

refrigerator 2 hours or longer.

Solution: Put perishable foods in the refrigerator within 2 hours or within 1 hour if the food is exposed to a temperature over 90˚F (like in a hot car). Divide roasts and large portions of food, such as pots of stew or chili, into smaller containers so they will chill quickly. It’s OK to put warm or hot food into the refrigerator, as long as it’s packaged in amounts small enough cool quickly.

BARFBLOG WEEKLY - 07/31/2019 Food Safety Talk 187: Must Split and Toast Food Safety Talk 187: Must Split and Toast By Ben Chapman on Jul 30, 2019 03:43 pm Don and Ben do their annual live from IAFP show. This year, from the dungeons of the Kentucky International Convention Center, the guys are joined by listeners coming from as far at New Zealand. The show starts with a discussion … Continue reading → View the entire entry » Copyright © 2019 NC State University, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website. Our mailing address is: NC State University 3208 Duveneck Raleigh, NC 27606 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

BARFBLOG WEEKLY - 08/07/2019 E. coli O157, England and Wales UK PHE issues advice to people travelling to Egypt North American Cyclospora outbreaks 21 sick: Ground bison products recalled due to E. coli 0121 and 0103 Worker scratching his crotch led to Florida restaurant’s temporary closure E. coli O157, England and Wales By Doug Powell on Aug 07, 2019 09:51 pm I am fascinated with viruses, and we’re all hosts on a viral planet. We used whole-genome sequencing to investigate the evolutionary context of an emerging highly pathogenic strain of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 in England and Wales. A timed phylogeny … Continue reading → View the entire entry » UK PHE issues advice to people travelling to Egypt By Doug Powell on Aug 06, 2019 04:25 pm What terrible writing. All travellers had been to the Hurghada region of Egypt. Public Health England’s (PHE’s) scientists are gathering further information to understand the cause of these infections. E. coli can cause an unpleasant diarrhoeal illness with stomach cramps … Continue reading → View the entire entry » North American Cyclospora outbreaks By Doug Powell on Aug 05, 2019 10:23 am My aunt got sick from Cyclospora in some basil-based thingy in Florida, in 2005. She was sick for weeks. On June 12, 1996, Ontario’s chief medical officer, Dr. Richard Schabas, issued a public health advisory on the presumed link between consumption … Continue reading → View the entire entry » 21 sick: Ground bison products recalled due to E. coli 0121 and 0103 By Doug Powell on Aug 04, 2019 08:44 am Little Powell would get them. Company / Firm: Northfork Bison Distributions Inc. Distribution: National Extent of the distribution: Consumer Contents Recall details Recalled products What you should do Background Illnesses Photos Public enquiries and media Recall details Ottawa, July 16, … Continue reading → View the entire entry » Worker scratching his crotch led to Florida restaurant’s temporary closure By Doug Powell on Aug 04, 2019 06:50 am Beau Zimmer of WTSP reports that ants were seen crawling inside a Tampa Bay area Mexican restaurant – our favorite part of Florida and equidistant from the equator as is Brisbane. Sabor A Mexico in Brandon is the go-to spot for … Continue reading → View the entire entry » Copyright © 2019 NC State University, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website. Our mailing address is: NC State University 3208 Duveneck Raleigh, NC 27606 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

BARFBLOG WEEKLY - 08/14/2019 Everyone’s got a camera, cat edition: Australian man captures CCTV footage of cat suffocating him in his sleep St Louis ‘porch pooper’ defecating on woman’s property At least 30 sickened: Multistate outbreak of listeriosis associated with packaged leafy green salads, United States and Canada, 2015-2016 The kid Everyone’s got a camera, cat edition: Australian man captures CCTV footage of cat suffocating him in his sleep By Doug Powell on Aug 09, 2019 09:08 pm For a year in 1986-87  I wrote in the University of Guelph weekly newspaper a science column about cats. (These are the current two, right) I was fascinated. The next year, I became editor-in-chief. They were the first warm-blooded pets … Continue reading → View the entire entry » St Louis ‘porch pooper’ defecating on woman’s property By Doug Powell on Aug 09, 2019 06:42 pm I’m thankful Australia has an abundance of public bathrooms (mainly because they are in parks that are flood areas). I was in Gerrmany a few times, impossible to find a public bathroom, the train conductor told me to just piss … Continue reading → View the entire entry » At least 30 sickened: Multistate outbreak of listeriosis associated with packaged leafy green salads, United States and Canada, 2015-2016 By Doug Powell on Aug 09, 2019 05:51 pm We investigated an outbreak of listeriosis detected by whole-genome multilocus sequence typing and associated with packaged leafy green salads. Nineteen cases were identified in the United States during July 5, 2015–January 31, 2016; isolates from case-patients were closely related (median difference … Continue reading → View the entire entry » The kid By Doug Powell on Aug 09, 2019 03:01 am I love this picture that Amy, the team manager took of Sorenne. See, she’s got my last name My health woes have kept me away from the rink, but Sorenne and Amy are stepping up in fine form. View the entire entry » Copyright © 2019 NC State University, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website. Our mailing address is: NC State University 3208 Duveneck Raleigh, NC 27606 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.