An ex-sanitation boss at Boar's Head has revealed that the federal investigation into the deadly, multi-state listeria outbreak has been going on for weeks.
Terrence Boyce worked as a sanitation manager at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant from January to August 2023. He shared that two weeks ago he was interviewed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of an ongoing internal investigation, as reported by WRIC.
"Some of the questions were geared towards process and procedures. If I knew any more complaints," Boyce told the station. "I was very candid with the inspectors, all of what I knew about the inspectors that were there."
At least 10 people have died and 59 have been hospitalized in reports from 19 states as a result of the outbreak since Boar's Head issued a recall for potential listeria contamination in July, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Requests for records of previous inspections at the plant have been denied to various news outlets, including WRIC, USA Today and the Associated Press, as the investigation is ongoing.
"I told them I think all of them need to be questioned actually," Boyce told WRIC. "You mean to tell me that these people have been here for 10 years and they forgot how to clean this equipment? This has been going on. It's not new."
The investigation opened by USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong came in response to a letter from Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal after dozens of reports dating back to 2022 detailed mold, dripping water, insects and meat residue on the walls, as well as various other problems at the facility, as reported by USA Today.
Blumenthal said in a statement, "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. The Virginia plant should have been shut down years ago before people got sick or died from Listeria. The IG investigation is a vital first step to assure accountability and prevent such deadly mistakes from happening again."
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