Recently Food Safety News reported the CDC declared a late summer outbreak of Listeria infections traced to Boar’s Head deli meats to be over. 

We reported “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began investigating the Boar’s Head outbreak on July 19. Ultimately the outbreak sickened 59 people across 19 states, killing 10. The company closed its production plant in Jarratt, VA, and permanently stopped liverwurst production nationwide. Boar’s Head recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli meats because of the outbreak.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT led a group of federal lawmakers calling for an investigation into the outbreak and Boar’s Head manufacturing practices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said the company is under criminal investigation. 

Boar’s Head was just the most visible incident, though. A list of food businesses affected by Listeria-related recalls so far in the fourth quarter of 2024 includes Fresh Express, Rao’s, Boston Market, Great Value, Atkins, Dole, Taylor Farms, Home Chef, BrucePak, McDonald’s, and Signature Select. Most supermarkets carried the affected products including Aldi, Amazon Fresh, Giant Eagle, H-E-B, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Wegmans, and C-store chain 7-Eleven. Tens of millions of pounds of products have been recalled.

We asked some of the most prominent voices in food safety what happened and what steps we can take to help reduce this threat to public health.  

Steven Mandernach, Executive Director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, suggested a lack of a comprehensive program at Boar’s Head led to the problem. 

“Boar’s Head is different from the others. Boar’s Head seems to be a lack of a comprehensive and implemented Listeria monocytogenes prevention program, which clearly was needed by the nature of the products produced, some clear gaps and long-term correction challenges, and a lack of coordination and communication between the state and federal agencies.

“Second, some of this increase likely relates to improved detection and a better ability to relate cases to specific foods. Some probably relate to the appearance of a reduction in Listeria-related outbreaks and a reduced emphasis on Listeria monocytogenes by operations.”

Mandernach suggested, “Now, all food operations should be evaluating, updating, and ensuring the implementation of their Listeria monocytogenes prevention program. Further, it might also be a sign that our knowledge of Listeria monocytogenes prevention isn’t quite as good as we thought.  Also, if I were a retailer with recalled Boar’s Head products that were cut and handled within their meat department or deli, I would implement a heightened program with periodic environmental testing to ensure that Listeria monocytogenes didn’t become resident in their operation.”

Beth Koenig, President, Koenig Food Safety LLC, said “It’s time to get back to basics. Food processing facilities must put into place robust sanitation and environmental monitoring programs, and management must act on the results. Spending time daily on the production floor having genuine conversations between management and operators will develop strong communication lines and those hidden problem areas will come to light.

“Resources must be allocated to seek and destroy pathogens, develop hygiene zoning to protect critical areas, repair infrastructure, and control traffic. There is a cost to doing things right, but it pales in comparison to the cost to families who have lost loved ones and facilities that have closed due to food pathogen contamination.”

Phyllis Entis, MSc., an author and food safety microbiologist, blamed complacency on the Boar’s Head outbreak. “The FSIS, which was ‘inspecting’ the Boar’s Head plant daily, did nothing to require compliance on the part of the company with ordinary cleaning, sanitation, and Listeria testing protocols until the Boar’s Head products were identified as the source of the outbreak.

“Since that time, we have had yet another deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to an FSIS-regulated plant, Yu Shang Food Inc. It is time for a top-to-bottom overhaul of the FSIS’s policies and strategies for preventing microbiological risks in the industry sectors over which it controls.”

Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, at New York University, pointed out the inherent problems of containing Listeria saying “The bacteria are nasty to control because they proliferate at refrigerator temperatures that would discourage other pathogens.

“I once visited a meat packing plant that experienced a Listeria recall; the company thought it was easier to move elsewhere than to try to clean up where they were. Testing for pathogens would help but the incentives are not too (test); if they find Listeria, they can’t sell their products. They would rather do a Hail Mary and take their chances. 

“The key to Listeria prevention is to establish a corporate culture of food safety where everyone cares and is rewarded for doing the right thing.”

Darin Detwiler is a well-respected food safety academic, advisor, advocate and author, and is a Professor of Food Policy and Corporate Social Responsibility at Northeastern University. 

His main concern? “This year’s resurgence of Listeria highlights troubling trends in food safety leadership. Perhaps pandemic-era inspection delays and resource reallocations allowed sanitation failures to fester, while some companies grew complacent, even reducing investments in critical hygiene practices.

“Outbreaks linked to uncooked produce like onions and carrots emphasize the need for stronger preventive controls earlier in the supply chain. Multi-state recalls, driven by premature shipment before pathogen test results, amplify risks and costs – the most significant costs being human lives.

“Boar’s Head’s century-old reputation and McDonald’s global prominence are stark reminders: no brand is immune to pathogens—or public scrutiny.”

Keith Warriner, who is doing research on enhancing food safety within meat processing and the fresh-cut sectors at the University of Guelph, is well-positioned to comment on the Boar’s Head recall.

“Listeria monocytogenes is making a comeback. The pathogen never really disappeared despite North America being considered the safest food system in the world. The key challenge is how to translate HACCP, food safety plans, knowledge, and training into practice. The reality is that to be applied, any actions require belief, which in turn is derived from memory anchors. 

“Companies believe in productivity, profit, and quality. Food safety is less visible and less likely to be adopted compared to a process that makes a job easier or quicker. To date, the focus has been traceability and testing, neither of which are effective.” 

Jeff Chilton, Vice President of Consulting at Intertek Alchemy said, “Listeria control has been an ongoing challenge for the food industry for decades. This ubiquitous pathogen is a concern due to its ability to grow at refrigerated temperatures and high fatality rates. 2024 has been a particularly bad year due to the foodborne illness outbreaks and major product recalls caused by Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

“This highlights the need for a fresh look at Listeria prevention and control methods. We must look beyond the traditional methods to see how we can build additional safety for our people, product and process controls. Robust foundations must remain in place for sanitation procedures, environmental monitoring programs, product, and GMP controls. Any breakdown in these fundamental systems can lead to Listeria contamination. 

“There are new technologies available to help reduce this public health threat. Companies can now employ shoe sanitizing stations for footwear control, new antimicrobial ingredients such as peptides, equipment sterilization methods, and post-lethality treatments such as high-pressure processing of packaged products. 

“This multiple-hurdle approach promotes greater prevention and control for Listeria. Food safety is part of doing business. Positive investments in these areas yield good dividends for enhanced safety and prevent catastrophic loss of life and finances while avoiding outbreaks and recalls. 

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Every year an estimated 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC coordinates as many as 36 investigations in multiple states each week.

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