--- title: "Expect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says" date: 2024-09-03T12:07:00-07:00 author: Julie Dueck canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/expect-more-illnesses-in-listeria-outbreak-tied-to-boars-head-deli-meat-food-safety-attorney-says" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Firm News](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/firm-news) / # Expect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says ***"This is the worst set of inspection reports I have ever seen," says food safety attorney Bill Marler.*** USA TODAY | Mike Snider | Sept. 2024 A prominent food safety lawyer says more illnesses can be expected and Congress should investigate [Boar's Head](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/08/28/boars-head-listeria-outbreak-bugs/74987772007/) after deli meat produced in one of the company's plants was [linked to an ongoing](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2024/08/28/boars-head-listeria-outbreak-new-deaths/74985350007/)[multistate listeria outbreak](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2024/08/28/boars-head-listeria-outbreak-new-deaths/74985350007/). [The outbreak](https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/details-delimeats-7-24.html) has led to at least 57 hospitalizations and nine deaths in 18 states since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially reported it on July 19. The CDC on Aug. 28 reported [six new deaths connected to the outbreak](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2024/08/28/boars-head-listeria-outbreak-new-deaths/74985350007/) including the first deaths in New Mexico, New York, South Carolina (2), and Tennessee. There will likely be more illnesses, and possibly more deaths, because the incubation period for listeria may last more than two months, so people who consumed tainted deli meat in July could still develop illnesses, said Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who specializes in food safety. The CDC's investigation found that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar's Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with listeria and made people sick. Subsequently, Boar's Head [expanded its recall](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/08/08/boars-head-listeria-outbreak-causes-new-death-more-hospitalizations/74724882007/) to [include every product](https://boarshead.com/products-recall-2024) made at the facility in Jarratt, Virginia. This week, inspection reports from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service revealed that [inspectors found insects, mold and mildew](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/08/28/boars-head-listeria-outbreak-bugs/74987772007/) at the plant over the 12 months before it was voluntarily shut down because of the outbreak. "This is the worst set of inspection reports I have ever seen," Marler told USA TODAY. **Listeria outbreak map:**[See which 18 states have been affected by outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2024/08/29/listeria-outbreak-boars-head-states-map-cdc/74996300007/) Congress should investigate how the listeria outbreak arose and why inspectors allowed the plant conditions to exist for so long, says [Marler](https://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-poisoning-information/food-safety-attorney-marler-calls-on-congress-to-investigate-both-the-cause-of-the-deadly-boars-head-listeria-outbreak-and-why-usda-fsis-inspectors-allowed-plant-conditions-to-exist/), who is representing the family of one person who died and two others who had illnesses in the outbreak. "It's crazy. Not only was this plant better at producing listeria than it was at producing meat, but also, what were the inspectors doing?" he told USA TODAY. **Boar's Head list of recalled deli meats** The CDC says its data found that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar's Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with listeria and made people sick. After a link was confirmed between the liverwurst and the outbreak, Boar's Head said on July 29 it "voluntarily decided to expand our recall to include every item produced at the same facility as our liverwurst. We enacted this broad and precautionary recall totaling seven million pounds because we believed it was the right thing to do." A list of the recalled products is embedded below – and [here's where to see labels of](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/food_label_pdf/2024-07/Recall-023-2024-EXP-Labels.pdf)[recalled products](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/food_label_pdf/2024-07/Recall-023-2024-EXP-Labels.pdf). **What did federal inspectors find at the Boar's Head plant?** Inspectors found insects – alive and dead – black and green mold, and mildew, within the plant in the weeks before Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc, issued a July 26 recall of more than 200,000 pounds of [liverwurst due to potential listeria contamination](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/boars-head-provisions-co--recalls-ready-eat-liverwurst-and-other-deli-meat-products). In June 2024, inspectors also saw "a steady line of ants" on a wall and in February 2024 found "Ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor" in the plant's Raw Receiving cooler. "There was also a rancid smell in the cooler." "It's a layup, whether you are a Republican or Democrat, to have congressional hearings on why this happened and why FSIS inspectors let this thing drag on," Marler said. Overall, the [Food Safety and Inspection Service filed 69 reports](https://www.scribd.com/document/764542563/USDA-FSIS-Boar-s-Head-Jarratt-Va-Noncompliances-2024-08-27) of "noncompliances" over the past year at the plant. The [agency records were first obtained by CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bugs-mold-mildew-inspection-boars-head-plant-listeria/) through a Freedom of Information Act request; USA TODAY has also made a request for the inspection documents and independently confirmed the reports. **Map shows which states are affected by Listeria outbreak** The CDC reports nine people have died and 57 people have been sickened across 18 states by a listeria outbreak linked to sliced deli meat. The [CDC map](https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/map-delimeats-7-24.html) shows where the 57 people in the listeria outbreak lived. Deaths occurred in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and South Carolina (2). *Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY* *Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads:* [*@mikesnider*](https://twitter.com/MikeSnider) ### Lawsuit updates about foodborne illnesses [Reactive Arthritis Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=reactive-arthritis&year=all) [E. coli Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=e-coli&year=all) [Guillain-Barre Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=guillain-barre-syndrome&year=all) [Salmonella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=salmonella&year=all) [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hemolytic-uremic-syndrome&year=all) [Listeria Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=listeria&year=all) [Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=irritable-bowel-syndrome&year=all) [Hepatitis A Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=hepatitis-a&year=all) [Norovirus Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=norovirus&year=all) [Botulism Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=botulism&year=all) [Campylobacter Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=campylobacter&year=all) [Shigella Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=shigella&year=all) [Cyclospora Lawsuit Updates](/news_events/case-news?illness=cyclospora&year=all) ### Lawsuits updates by year [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1998](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1998) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 1999](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=1999) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2000](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2000) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2001](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2001) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2002](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2002) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2003](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2003) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2004](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2004) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2005](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2005) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2006](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2006) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2007) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2008](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2008) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2009) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2010) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2012](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2012) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2013](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2013) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2014](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2014) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2015](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2015) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2016](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2016) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2017](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2017) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2018](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2018) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2019](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2019) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2020](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2020) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2021](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2021) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2022](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2022) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2023](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2023) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2024](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2024) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2025](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2025) [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2026](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2026) ##### Get Help #### Affected by an outbreak or recall? 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