Finally, The Deadly Boar's Head Listeria Outbreak Appears To Be Over

After four months, ten deaths, and 61 illnesses, the Boar's Head listeria outbreak has officially been declared over. The outbreak, which necessitated a recall of over 7 million pounds of deli meat, was put to rest on Thursday. Boar's Head deli meat contaminated with listeria infected consumers across 19 states from May to September. The CDC declared its end a full 60 days after the last reported illness, and the brand's meats subject to recall have all passed their use-by dates.

The contaminated meats were mainly linked to the Boar's Head liverwurst and a production factory in Virginia; the company has since shuttered that plant and discontinued its line of liverwurst. Despite its strides to mitigate the outbreak, prevent future contaminations, and maintain a positive public image, Boar's Head continues to face scrutiny. 

Since the onset of the listeria outbreak, reports have called the company's Virginia factory into question, citing issues with mold, insects, leaking ceilings, and contaminated spaces. Several infected individuals, or those close to the victims, have filed lawsuits against the deli meat brand.

Boar's Head isn't the only one that's had to grapple with a listeria outbreak. The read-to-eat meat and poultry sector has particularly faced numerous recent listeria troubles. Earlier this month, Yu Shang Food, Inc., a South Carolina-based Chinese cuisine company, recalled around 4,600 pounds of its ready-to-eat meat and poultry products after a routine inspection spotted listeria in some of its products. Unlike Boar's Head, Yu Shang Food's recall is still in effect — the affected products' shelf lives last until August 27, 2025.

On the packaged-meat wavelength, Kirkland Signature's manufacturer recalled its smoked salmon in response to a potential listeria contamination last month. A few weeks earlier, BrucePac issued a Class I recall — which denotes a medium to high risk — of just under 10 million pounds of its ready-to-eat meat products after a listeria contamination. Product recalls related to food-borne illnesses are common in the food and beverage industry, but eyebrows should begin to raise at this magnitude of contaminations.