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Boar's Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules dozens of times, records show
A Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia tied to a deadly food poisoning outbreak repeatedly violated federal regulations, including instances of mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment, newly released records show.
Agriculture Department officials logged 69 instances of “noncompliance” with federal rules in the past year, including several in recent weeks, according to documents released through federal Freedom of Information Act requests.
The Jarratt, Virginia, plant has been linked to the deaths of at least nine people and hospitalizations of about 50 others in 18 states. All were sickened with listeria after eating Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc. deli meats. The company recalled more than 7 million pounds of products last month after tests confirmed that listeria bacteria in Boar’s Head products were making people sick.
Between Aug. 1, 2023, and Aug. 2, 2024, U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service personnel found “heavy discolored meat buildup” and “meat overspray on walls and large pieces of meat on the floor.” They also documented flies “going in and out” of pickle vats and “black patches of mold” on a ceiling. One inspector detailed blood puddled on the floor and “a rancid smell in the cooler.” Plant staff were repeatedly notified that they had failed to meet requirements, the documents showed.
“I think it is disgusting and shameful,” said Garshon Morgenstein, whose 88-year-old father, Gunter, died July 18 from a listeria infection traced to Boar’s Head liverwurst. “I’m just even more in shock that this was allowed to happen.”
The documents, first reported by CBS News, didn’t contain any test results that confirmed listeria in the factory. The bacteria thrive on floors, walls and drains, in cracks and crevices and hard-to-clean parts of food processing equipment. Pests such as flies can easily spread the bacteria through a plant and the germ can survive in biofilms — thin, slimy collections of bacteria that are difficult to eradicate.
Officials with Boar’s Head did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, but a spokesperson told CBS that the company regrets the impact of the recall, prioritizes food safety and addressed the USDA’s concerns.
Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University, said the records raise a lot of red flags.
“It makes me wonder why additional actions weren’t taken by management of that company and the regulators,” she said.
Donald Schaffner, a Rutgers food science and safety expert who reviewed the inspection documents, said reports of condensation throughout the plant are concerning because that’s a known risk factor for listeria.
“The fact that they are having the same problems over and over again weeks apart is an indication that they really struggling to keep up with sanitation,” Schaffner said.
Listeria infections cause about 1,600 illnesses each year in the U.S. and about 260 people die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People older than 65, those who are pregnant or who have weakened immune systems are most vulnerable.
USDA food safety officials did not immediately respond to questions about the conditions at the plant. Federal reports show no enforcement actions against Boar’s Head between January and March, the latest records available.
Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer who has sued companies over food poisoning outbreaks, said the conditions described in the inspections reports were the worst he’s seen in three decades.
Garshon Morgenstein said his father bought Boar’s Head products because of the company’s reputation.
“For the rest of my life, I have to remember my father’s death every time I see or hear the name Boar’s Head,” he said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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Video: I.C.C. Issues Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu Over War in Gaza
The International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, were issued for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The court also sought to arrest Hamas’s military chief, Muhammad Deif, for crimes against humanity.
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US citizen among 4 dead in Laos after suspected alcohol poisoning
An American, two Danes and one Australian tourist died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos following reports that several people had been sickened in a town popular with backpackers.
The only victim’s identity publicly released so far is 19-year-old Bianca Jones of Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament on Thursday that Jones had died after being evacuated from Vang Vieng, Laos, for treatment in a Thai hospital. Her friend, also 19, remains hospitalized in neighboring Thailand.
“This is every parent’s very worst fear and a nightmare that no one should have to endure,” Albanese said, according to The Associated Press. “We also take this moment to say that we’re thinking of Bianca’s friend Holly Bowles, who is fighting for her life.”
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Shaun Bowles told reporters outside Bangkok Hospital on Wednesday that his daughter remained in critical condition and on life support.
“We just like to thank everyone from back home for all of the support and love that we’re receiving,” he said. “But we’d also like the people to appreciate right now, we just need privacy so we can spend as much time as we can with Holly.”
Australian media said Jones was the fourth foreign tourist to die after consuming the contaminated alcohol.
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“The physician who examined her said the cause of death was a methanol poisoning, from fake liquor,” Phattanawong Chanphon, a police official in the Thai city, told Reuters. “The amount of methanol in her body was high, leading to swelling of the brain.”
Counterfeit liquor is a problem in Laos, with the governments of Australia and Britain warning citizens to be cautious when having drinks there.
Methanol is a toxic alcohol that is used industrially as a solvent, pesticide and alternative fuel source, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The U.S. Department of State did not respond to a Fox News Digital inquiry, but told the AP that local authorities were investigating the case and were responsible for providing any details. The State Department noted that the U.S. was providing consular assistance.
“At this time I would say to parents, to young people, please have a conversation about risks, please inform yourselves, please let’s work together to ensure this tragedy doesn’t happen again,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said after receiving news of Jones’ death.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this request.
World
UK imposes sanctions on Isabel dos Santos, Ukrainian oligarch Firtash
The measures are a part of the Labour government tightening Britain’s anti-corruption sanctions regime.
The United Kingdom has barred Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos and Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash and frozen their UK assets, the government announced, in what it said was part of a new crackdown on “dirty money”.
The measures on Thursday were the first step in tightening Britain’s anti-corruption sanctions regime as promised in July’s election, the Labour government said.
“These unscrupulous individuals selfishly deprive their fellow citizens of much-needed funding for education, healthcare and infrastructure – for their own enrichment,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.
Dos Santos, whose father Jose Eduardo dos Santos served as Angola’s president for 38 years until 2017, is Africa’s first female billionaire and has faced corruption accusations in Angola and elsewhere for years. She denies the allegations and says she is the target of a long-running political vendetta.
She was sanctioned by the United States in 2021 for “involvement in significant corruption” and is barred from entering the country.
Britain said dos Santos abused her positions at Angolan state oil firm Sonangol and telecoms company Unitel to embezzle at least 350 million pounds ($440m).
Dos Santos lost an appeal to overturn an order freezing up to 580 million pounds of her assets in September as part of a lawsuit at London’s High Court brought by Unitel. Global police agency Interpol has issued a red notice for her.
In a statement cited by the Reuters news agency, dos Santos said that the British sanctions were “incorrect and unjustified”.
“I was not given the opportunity to defend myself against these allegations,” she said. “I intend to appeal and I hope that the United Kingdom will give me the opportunity to present my evidence.”
Firtash is wanted by Ukrainian and US authorities on suspicion of embezzling nearly $500m involving Ukraine’s gas transit system. He says the charges are without legal foundation.
He is currently in Austria fighting extradition to the US.
In June 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree imposing sanctions on Firtash, including the freezing of his assets and withdrawal of licences from his companies, after accusing him of selling titanium products to Russian military companies.
Britain said Firtash had extracted “hundreds of millions of pounds from Ukraine through corruption”, and hidden tens of millions of pounds of ill-gotten gains in the UK property market alone.
Britain also sanctioned his wife Lada Firtash, who it said held UK assets on his behalf including the site of the old Brompton Road rail station of the London Underground.
Latvian businessman and politician Aivars Lembergs, who was put on a US sanctions list in 2019 for alleged corruption, was also sanctioned, as was his daughter Liga Lemberga. The British government said Lembergs had “abused his political position to commit bribery and launder money.”
Lammy said the penalties were the start of a crackdown.
“I committed to taking on kleptocrats and the dirty money that empowers them when I became foreign secretary, and these sanctions mark the first step in delivering this ambition,” he said.
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