Boar’s Head recall triggers USDA watchdog probe into agency’s handling of deadly listeria outbreak

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general has started an internal investigation into the agency’s handling of the deadly Boar’s Head outbreak, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said Tuesday. 

The Boar’s Head outbreak, which has led to the deaths of at least 10 people and sickened dozens more, occurred after USDA inspectors turned up dozens of violations at the company’s Jarratt, Virginia, plant. The violations included mold, mildew and insects repeatedly found throughout the site.

The USDA’s inspector general didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The inspector general is an independent unit of the USDA charged with uncovering problems at the agency.

The Boar’s Head plant, which was shuttered last month, should have been closed years earlier, which would have prevented people from falling ill or dying, Blumenthal said in a statement emailed to CBS MoneyWatch. Some deli meats such as liverwurst that were processed at the plant were contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which is especially dangerous for older people, those with weakened immune systems or those who are pregnant. 

“USDA took virtually no action — allowing Boar’s Head to continue business as usual at its chronically unsanitary Virginia plant — despite finding repeated serious violations,” Blumenthal said in the statement. “The IG investigation is a vital first step to assure accountability and prevent such deadly mistakes from happening again.”

He described the USDA’s handling of the plant’s issues as an “abject failure to protect consumers.”

The action came in response to a September 5 letter from Blumenthal demanding an investigation, he said.

Blumenthal said that USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong is looking into whether federal investigators and Virginia state inspectors responded appropriately to dozens of reports of problems at the factory, including mold, insects, dripping water and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment. 

Inspection reports dating back at least two years indicated that the conditions could pose an “imminent threat” to food safety.

The Boar’s Head plant was inspected under a program that allows state inspectors to act on behalf of the federal agency.

Last month, the USDA disclosed that Boar’s Head processing plants nationwide are now part of an ongoing law enforcement investigation due to the outbreak. It is unclear whether the law enforcement probe is a criminal or civil investigation.

Blumenthal and Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro last month asked the Justice Department to investigate whether criminal charges were warranted.

contributed to this report.