ATLANTA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Nov. 21 that the Boar’s Head multi-state Listeria outbreak investigation was over. 

In its final update on the case, the agency said a total of 61 people in 19 states became ill from the outbreak. According to the CDC, 60 people were hospitalized during the outbreak, with 10 people dying. 

“Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback data showed that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with Listeria and made people sick,” the CDC said in its update.

The agency added that the “true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses.”

The CDC pointed out that some people recovered from the outbreak without medical care and did not get tested for Listeria, with recent illnesses that may not be reported as it can take 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of the outbreak.

Even with the CDC declaring the Listeria outbreak over, there are still ongoing investigations by the USDA into the handling of the Jarrat, Va., facility, as well as lawsuits.

Boar’s Head initiated the recall of over 7 million lbs of RTE products in July after the Maryland Department of Health notified the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of a detection of Listeria in a collected sample of Boar’s Head products.

Documents from the USDA indicated details about food safety protocol going back two years at the Jarratt facility. While the USDA earlier disclosed 69 instances of noncompliance between Aug. 1, 2023, and Aug. 2, 2024, at the Jarratt facility, a more recently released report revealed violations as early as 2022.

The second round of inspection citations fell between January 2022 and June 2023. One note from the USDA categorized the facility as an “imminent threat” before the outbreak.

As a result of the outbreak, Boar’s Head indefinitely closed its Virginia processing plant, where the recalled products were manufactured. 

Additionally, the company formed a Food Safety Council of independent food experts to help guide the company in adopting improved food safety programs.