USDA Documented Insects And Slime At Boar’s Head Plants

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Government inspectors documented unsanitary conditions at several Boar’s Head deli meat plants at multiple factories.

Federal records show that one major Boars headquarters shut down last year after a deadly outbreak of listeria poisoning. News reported from Boar’s Head plants in Indiana, Arkansas, and Virginia described multiple instances of meat and fat residue left on equipment and walls, dripping condensation falling on food, mold, insects, and other problems that are dated back roughly six years.

The U.S. Agriculture Department released the inspection records in response to Freedom of Information Act requests from The Associated Press and other news organizations. The problem documented at the three factories echo some of the violations found at the Jarrett, Virginia, plant linked to the food poising outbreak.

The newly released reports describe:

• Equipment “covered in meat scraps” in 2019.
• “Dry crusted meat from the previous day’s production” and “dark, stinky residue” left behind in 2020.
• A doorway covered in “dried meat juices and grime” in 2021.
• Green mold and flaking paint in 2022.
• “Unidentified slime” and “abundance of insects” in 2023.
• A puddle of “blood, debris and trash” in 2024.

Boar’s Head officials said in an email Monday that the violations documented in the three factories “do not meet our high standards.” The company’s remaining plants continue to operate under normal USDA oversight, they added. The Sarasota Florida-based company has marketed itself for decades as a premier provider of deli meats and cheeses, advertising “excellence that stands apart in every bite.”

Boar’s Heard is hiring a “food safety culture manager,” according to Frankie Yiannas, former official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who is now advising the company.