Report finds many issues at the Boar’s Head meat factory that had a listeria outbreak : NPR

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

The listeria outbreak that began in May is still killing people and may still pose a threat to even more people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that nine people have died, making it the worst outbreak since 2011. That’s because of numerous problems at the Boar’s Head deli meat factory where the rare but deadly foodborne bacteria has been traced. NPR consumer health correspondent Yuki Noguchi joins us now. Good morning.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Good morning.

RASCOE: Yuki, how is this outbreak still killing people three months later?

NOGUCHI: Yeah, it’s because the amount of meat involved is massive. You know, some of it has a long shelf life, also. So some consumers may actually still have some in their refrigerator. And although many people get sick within two weeks of consuming bad listeria bacteria, it can take up to 10 weeks to incubate. So people who ate the stuff a couple months ago may just now just be getting sick with, you know, fever, stiffness and muscle aches and stuff like that.

RASCOE: Wow. The factory you mentioned was apparently not in compliance. What were some of the problems found there?

NOGUCHI: You know, the USDA’s food safety inspection reports paint a pretty bleak and revolting picture, spanning a number of years and lots of the descriptions of heavily discolored or malodorous meat or meat particles splattered on the walls or in between blades. You know, ones from earlier this year describe various dead bugs and dripping ceilings, mildew and black mold near machines. So, you know, these reports show sanitation violations were routine and not isolated. And so while the original listeria contamination has been traced to Boar’s Head liverwurst, that factory also made 70 other products using some of the same machines, so that’s why it’s just spread so uncontrollably.

RASCOE: So what are the risk here, and how should consumers try to contain them?

NOGUCHI: That’s just it. I mean, listeria is very hard to contain. If a deli slicer cuts a contaminated piece of meat, anything that touches it after that can also be infected. The person touching the meat could then also spread it, you know, through their hands or the countertops. The bacteria can also spread in people’s refrigerators and infect other food. So the big thing to know is whether you have recalled product in your home. You know, there’s a specific number. It’s 12612. That’s on the inspection labels to look for in this case, but that’s listed also on the CDC’s food recall list.

Like I said, this stuff has long shelf lives. Some of it doesn’t even have sell-by dates until October. And so if you do have that stuff, best to throw it out and then clean the fridge and every surface that might have come in contact with it. And people should know the symptoms are kind of flu-like – muscle aches, fever, leading to increased stiffness and even seizures. People should see their doctor if they suspect a case, and the treatment in severe cases is an antibiotic. We should add that the company meanwhile says it deeply regrets the impact this has had on consumers and has suspended operations at that plant until safety standards are met.

RASCOE: That’s NPR’s Yuki Noguchi. Thank you so much for joining us.

NOGUCHI: Thank you.

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