Contaminated Boar's Head deli meat was recalled last month after it caused a listeria outbreak that killed at least nine people and sent 57 others to the hospital. And surfaced reports by U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors now tell us what went wrong: black mold, rancid smells, insects from flies to roaches, and persistent leaks including "ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor."
And these delightful findings, all discovered in a Boar's Head plant in Virginia, weren't just a one-off — they were repeatedly reported over the last year by the USDA, but ignored.
For instance: "A black mold-like substance was seen throughout the room at the wall/concrete junction. As well as some caulking around brick/metal," inspectors of the plant wrote back in January, according to CBS News. Inspectors also found "a green algal growth…dripping over product being held."
In February, inspectors found leaks all over the place, some leaving blood-tainted puddles. When workers tried to mop them up, the leaks reportedly reappeared within 10 seconds.
And in July, inspectors found "Small flying gnat like insects were observed crawling on the walls and flying around the room. The room's walls had heavy meat buildup."
These are just some of the examples given in the CBS report.
From CBS News:
Records released by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service to CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act request tally 69 records of "noncompliances" flagged by the agency over the past year at the Jarratt plant.
In July, federal inspectors found what looked to be mold and mildew around the hand washing sinks for the workers tasked with meats that are supposed to be ready to eat.
Mold was also found building up outside of steel vats used by the plant, previous records show, as well as in holding coolers between the site's smokehouses. …
A number of records also flag sightings of insects in and around deli meats at the plant, including one instance that prompted the agency to tag more than 980 pounds of ham in a smokehouse hallway to be "retained" for an investigation.
In June, another record flagged concerns over flies going in and out of "vats of pickle" left by Boar's Head in a room.
Other parts of the facility were also found to have bugs, including what looked to be "ants traveling down the wall," as well as a beetle and a cockroach.
"This is the largest listeriosis outbreak since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe," said the CDC of the Boar's Head listeria outbreak, which has hit 18 states. The listeria-related deaths occurred in South Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and New York.
And yet, it wasn't until July — when the outbreak hit — that the Virginia Boar's Head plant finally suspended operations to clean up the filth. And "it's unclear whether Boar's Head will face any penalties by the USDA for the repeat issues."
Previously: Trader Joe's issues third product recall of the week
