Boar’s Head listeria outbreak ends with 10 dead and dozens sickened by tainted deli meat

(AP) – A deadly outbreak of listeria food poisoning linked to a massive recall of popular Boar’s Head meat is over, federal health officials said Thursday.

Ten people died and 61 became ill in 19 states after eating food contaminated with listeria Boar’s Head products including liverwurst. The illnesses were reported between late May and mid-September, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Listeria outbreaks are considered more than 60 days after the last reported illness, according to the CDC. In addition, delicate products related to the outbreak have passed their expiration date.

After recalling more than 7 million pounds of Boar’s Head meat distributed nationally, company officials closed a production plant in Jarratt, Virginia and permanently stopped making liverwurst.

Boar’s Head face off continuous examination over dozens of reports on problems at the factoryincluding mould, insects, dripping water and contaminated walls, floors and equipment.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting an internal investigation to determine whether federal investigators and state inspectors in Virginia responded to reports of serious problems. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who requested the inquiry, has not received an update on the findings, his staff said.

The company is also facing dozens of lawsuits filed by sick people or their families.

Officials with the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service declined to share documents about the agency’s inspections and enforcement at the plant, plus inspection reports from eight other company plants around the country. AP appeals the denial of the public records request.

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