Boar’s Head listeria update: Liverwurst discontinued, plant closed, workers laid off after recall and deadly outbreak
In late July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was investigating a deadly listeria outbreak believed to be linked to deli meats. By the end of the month, it was known that the outbreak was linked to Boar’s Head liverwurst that came from a particular plant in Virginia. The outbreak had led to the deaths of at least nine people and sickened 57 others across 18 states by the end of August. It also prompted a company recall of some seven million pounds of meat in addition to class action lawsuits being filed against Boar’s Head Provision Company. But now there are two additional consequences of the deadly outbreak: the discontinuation of a beloved product and hundreds of worker layoffs. Here’s the latest update: Boar’s Head to permanently discontinue liverwurst Fans of Boar’s Head liverwurst will not be happy to learn that the company is permanently discontinuing the product, it announced on September 13. “Our investigation has identified the root cause of the contamination as a specific production process that only existed at the Jarratt [Virginia] facility and was used only for liverwurst,” the company wrote in a statement. “With this discovery, we have decided to permanently discontinue liverwurst.” Plant closure leads to hundreds of layoffs In the same statement, Boar’s Head announced that it would close the Jarratt, Virginia, plant where the liverwurst was made and where the outbreak originated. “Given the seriousness of the outbreak, and the fact that it originated at Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this location, which has not been operational since late July 2024,” Boar’s Head said. “It pains us to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees. We do not take lightly our responsibility as one of the area’s largest employers. But, under these circumstances, we feel that a plant closure is the most prudent course.” Boar’s Head’s statement says the plant closer will see “hundreds” laid off. But thanks to a WARN notice filed with the Virginia Employment Commission and dated September 17, we have a better idea of exactly how many people will lose their jobs. The WARN notice states that 600 employees are impacted by the plant closure. In its statement announcing the closure, Boar’s Head said it “will work to assist each of our employees in the transition process,” though it did not give details of what type of assistance this entails. According to United States Census Bureau data, Jarratt, Virginia, had a population of 652 as of 2020 and had a 76% employment rate as of 2022. “This is a dark moment in our company’s history,” Boar’s Head said, “but we intend to use this as an opportunity to enhance food safety programs not just for our company, but for the entire industry.”
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In late July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was investigating a deadly listeria outbreak believed to be linked to deli meats. By the end of the month, it was known that the outbreak was linked to Boar’s Head liverwurst that came from a particular plant in Virginia.
The outbreak had led to the deaths of at least nine people and sickened 57 others across 18 states by the end of August. It also prompted a company recall of some seven million pounds of meat in addition to class action lawsuits being filed against Boar’s Head Provision Company. But now there are two additional consequences of the deadly outbreak: the discontinuation of a beloved product and hundreds of worker layoffs. Here’s the latest update:
Boar’s Head to permanently discontinue liverwurst
Fans of Boar’s Head liverwurst will not be happy to learn that the company is permanently discontinuing the product, it announced on September 13.
“Our investigation has identified the root cause of the contamination as a specific production process that only existed at the Jarratt [Virginia] facility and was used only for liverwurst,” the company wrote in a statement. “With this discovery, we have decided to permanently discontinue liverwurst.”
Plant closure leads to hundreds of layoffs
In the same statement, Boar’s Head announced that it would close the Jarratt, Virginia, plant where the liverwurst was made and where the outbreak originated.
“Given the seriousness of the outbreak, and the fact that it originated at Jarratt, we have made the difficult decision to indefinitely close this location, which has not been operational since late July 2024,” Boar’s Head said. “It pains us to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees. We do not take lightly our responsibility as one of the area’s largest employers. But, under these circumstances, we feel that a plant closure is the most prudent course.”
Boar’s Head’s statement says the plant closer will see “hundreds” laid off. But thanks to a WARN notice filed with the Virginia Employment Commission and dated September 17, we have a better idea of exactly how many people will lose their jobs. The WARN notice states that 600 employees are impacted by the plant closure.
In its statement announcing the closure, Boar’s Head said it “will work to assist each of our employees in the transition process,” though it did not give details of what type of assistance this entails. According to United States Census Bureau data, Jarratt, Virginia, had a population of 652 as of 2020 and had a 76% employment rate as of 2022.
“This is a dark moment in our company’s history,” Boar’s Head said, “but we intend to use this as an opportunity to enhance food safety programs not just for our company, but for the entire industry.”
