Democrats call for Justice Department to investigate deadly Boar’s Head outbreak

United States Rep. Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal today called on the USDA and the U.S. Department of Justice to hold Boar’s Head accountable for the deadly Listeria outbreak linked to liverwurst deli meat produced at their Jarratt, VA, plant. 

In a letter to USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack and Attorney General Merrick Garland, Blumenthal urged USDA to work closely with the DOJ to determine whether to bring criminal charges against Boar’s Head for their responsibility in the outbreak, which has caused 10 deaths and dozens of hospitalizations across the country. Blumenthal and DeLauro also urged USDA to strengthen its Listeria prevention protocols and investigate other Boar’s Head locations for safety violations. 

“The time for action is long overdue, and we urge your agencies to work together to seek immediate justice for impacted consumers and to prevent this from happening again,” wrote DeLauro and Blumenthal, both Democrats from Connecticut.

“Moving forward, it is critical that the agency take this matter seriously and take the necessary steps to address the concerns raised by this outbreak. That is why we urge USDA to work closely with the DOJ to determine whether to bring criminal charges against Boar’s Head for their responsibility in this crisis.”

Blumenthal and DeLauro also called on USDA to enhance its oversight of our food supply, “We also urge the agency to initiate reforms to prevent similar situations from recurring at other facilities. In particular, the agency should revisit its regulations requiring establishments to test for Listeria in the processing environment and consider ways to strengthen those requirements, including revisiting the agency’s 2000 proposed rule requiring minimum sampling for Listeria on food contact surfaces.”

“We cannot let large corporations get away with endangering public health, it is imperative that we hold food companies to the highest standards so that Americans can feel safe shopping for groceries and feeding their families. Boar’s Head must be held accountable, those impacted by this crisis deserve more than an apology, they deserve justice,” DeLauro and Blumenthal concluded.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News,click here)