Boar’s Head, a 120-year-old company headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, is preparing to reopen its deli meat facility in Jarratt, Virginia. This follows a multistate, deadly food poisoning outbreak last year that spurred extensive operational changes. The nationwide outbreak resulted in the recall of more than 7 million pounds of deli meats and other products. After receiving our petition, in September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) responded by suspending operations at the facility. The company has made a commitment to improving its food safety processes. It’s a boat that nearly sank, but as it approaches reopening in the coming months, it’s concerned primarily with consumer confidence.
Last fall, Boar’s Head convened a panel of expert advisers. Their focus was on addressing pressing food safety concerns at the Jarratt plant. Our findings uncovered flagrant breaches of hygiene and sanitation protocols. Equipment and walls had accumulations of meat and fat, drains were filled with meat debris, and condensation was so heavy that it dripped from ceilings and floors. The report singled out overflowing trash cans. It further indicated that staff members did not adhere to safe food preparation attire, failing to wear appropriate hairnets and plastic aprons.
Barbara Kowalcyk, a food safety expert from the Center for Food Safety, testified about the culture within the company when it came to food safety. She stated, “I think they need to be aware that there are issues at this organization that still are not completely under control, apparently.” Kowalcyk was clear that organizational culture needs to be completely different. He admitted that this kind of transformation often has to begin at the top. Her remarks acknowledge the mounting criticism facing Boar’s Head for failing to do more to protect consumers from harmful ingredients.
In early May, the company appointed its first chief food safety officer. This new leader would be responsible for making these improvements and addressing the shortcomings that were identified during the investigation. In addition to this leadership change, Boar’s Head has posted job openings for various positions, including a food safety quality analyst. These steps are an important signal of a new commitment to compliance with health regulations and to restoring its reputation.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro criticized Boar’s Head for what she described as “a pattern of negligence,” highlighting that the conditions discovered at the plant showed “a complete disregard for food safety and for the public health of the American people.” Her comments should be a wake-up call for the company to stop focusing on profit margins and start focusing on consumer safety.
For their part, Boar’s Head is apparently hell-bent on eroding public trust. In order to do so, the company has promised to implement major reforms in its procedures and processes. The company stated, “Boar’s Head has an unwavering commitment to food safety and quality. That commitment is reflected in recent enhancements to our practices and protocols.”…[T]his promise is to all of you that we will do everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening again.
Boar’s Head has since implemented internal changes and continues to work closely with USDA officials. Collectively, they are developing a comprehensive blueprint to reopen the Jarratt facility with a re-entry focus. The company intends to approach this process “in a measured, deliberate way in the coming months,” as it seeks to navigate regulatory scrutiny and consumer skepticism.
These are all positive steps, but experts warn that they aren’t a panacea and continued vigilance will be required. Sandra Eskin, an advocate for food safety reform, warned that if evidence of continuing food safety problems emerges, “the government needs to make sure the company fixes them.” This sentiment is a stark reflection of worries expressed by industry professionals over the ability for substantive flaws to still harbor under flashy industry recalibrations.
Brian Ronholm, another food safety expert, remarked on the expectations surrounding Boar’s Head’s operational overhaul: “You would have expected after all they went through that they would put themselves in a place where you could essentially eat deli meat off the factory floor.” Indeed, his comments underscore the extremely high bar placed in the company as it works to restore its public reputation.
