[6][7] The United States Environmental Protection Agency sued Boar's Head in 1998, alleging that the company failed to report its storage of hazardous chemicals at the Jarratt plant.
Listeriosis is caused by the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which is uniquely able to survive and reproduce at low temperatures, such as those found in the cold chain.
[12] Public health authorities track foodborne illness outbreaks through PulseNet, an international system of data sharing in operation since 1996.
When outbreaks of foodborne illness occur, public health authorities collect samples from sick patients and contaminated foods, and the bacteria in them are analyzed by PulseNet for similarities.
PulseNet was upgraded beginning in 2016 to use whole genome sequencing, which allows for faster and more precise analysis of bacteria across the system, which includes 80 laboratories in the United States.
[14] A smaller outbreak of listeriosis on the East Coast in 2022 killed 1 person in Maryland, and was linked to deli meats that were sliced to order.
[18] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it was investigating an outbreak of listeriosis on July 19, which was broadly associated with sliced meats from deli counters, including turkey, liverwurst, and ham.
[19] Investigators from the Maryland Department of Health interviewed patients in the state who were sick with listeriosis, all of whom were elderly, and suspected that the food that they had eaten would be unpopular with younger people.
[17][20][26] In an August 2024 New York Times article, Neal Fortin, the director of the Institute for Food Laws & Regulations at Michigan State University, criticized Boar's Head for its method of managing Listeria contamination at the Jarratt plant.
Fortin argued that the company's procedure, which emphasized facility sanitation and testing for Listeria, was inadequate in comparison to other industry-standard methods, which are more advanced.
[27] By September 6, 2024, at least seven lawsuits, including three class action, were filed against Boar's Head following the listeria outbreak alleging breach of warranty, failing to disclose a potential risk of bacterial contamination, false advertising, manufacturing defects, misleading the public, negligence, violations of Alabama's product liability law, and wrongful death.
[11] UFCW Local 400, the union representing workers at the Jarratt plant, criticized the closure, arguing that "this unprecedented tragedy was not the fault of the workforce.