The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday that Boar’s Head processing plants across the country are part of an ongoing law enforcement investigation following a deadly outbreak linked to some of the company’s now-recalled deli meats. I made it.
At least 59 hospitalizations and 10 deaths have been linked to Listeria strains traced to Boar’s Head products distributed by a company. The shutter is closed now A factory operated by the company in Virginia.
Boar’s Head Plant in Virginia Written dozens of times CBS News first reported the inspector general’s investigation into the violations in August, based on records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Violations cited by agriculture officials at the plant included mold and insects found on the premises.
The USDA disclosed the existence of the investigation in a letter Thursday, but declined a request from CBS News for records regarding Boar’s Head’s other plants in Michigan, Arkansas and Indiana.
The department said the records were “compiled for law enforcement purposes” and releasing them “could impede the government’s ability to further control and shape the investigation.”
“In light of the ongoing investigation related to this matter, FSIS is withholding all 93 pages,” they wrote.
The disclosure came on the same day as a letter from Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Democrats from Connecticut, to the Departments of Agriculture and Justice urging them to consider criminal charges against the company.
“The time for action is long overdue, and we demand immediate justice for affected consumers and urge government agencies to work together to prevent this from happening again,” they wrote.
It is unclear whether this investigation is a criminal or civil investigation. An FSIS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Boar’s Head declined to comment, saying the company does not comment on legal matters.