JARRAT, Va. — Boar's Head announced plans to reopen its Jarratt, Va. meat-processing facility in the coming months, nearly a year after it was closed following a Listeria outbreak that killed 10 people and sickened dozens more.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lifted its suspension on the facility on July 18.
"[The Food Safety and Inspection Service] thoroughly reviewed the establishment’s food safety system, including extensive documentation of the company’s actions to restore and maintain sanitary conditions. FSIS concluded that the facility adequately addressed the food safety issues that led to suspension," a USDA spokesperson said in a statement. "USDA continues to prioritize food safety for all Americans. As announced by Secretary Brooke Rollins on July 15, USDA is making ongoing enhancements to its Listeria testing method to provide quicker results to industry and to detect a broader set of Listeria species. In 2025, FSIS has tested over 23,000 samples for Listeria, a more than 200 percent increase in samples from 2024. Since January, the agency also updated its Listeria-specific training and administered it to over 5,200 frontline inspection personnel."
"Boar's Head has an unwavering commitment to food safety and quality. That commitment is reflected in recent enhancements to our practices and protocols," a company spokesperson said and directed people to its website for more information.
For people who live in or work around Jarratt, the reopening represents a potential economic boost to a community that has seen opportunities dwindle.
"[The closing] affected a lot of people, not only the ones who were there, but the ones around it, all the businesses," Wayne Veliky said. "With it gone, there's nothing here -- the hardware store and the gas stations."
Veliky, 76, has called Jarratt home his entire life and has witnessed the decline of local businesses firsthand.
"I ran the laundromat here, and I ran a car wash, and all that's gone because there's not enough here to support it," Veliky said.
While residents welcome the return of jobs, some express caution about safety measures.
"I think that's great, as long as they're able to do it safely," Tameka Jones, who works in the area, said. "I think it's very good, again, for the economy, the local economy in Jarratt, and for those families who are impacted."
Jones, who stopped buying Boar's Head products after the outbreak, says federal oversight gave her confidence to resume purchasing. However, she expressed concerns about potential cuts to the federal workforce under the Trump administration.
"But I'm confident that if they've decided to open it again, that they will and implement measures so that it doesn't happen," Jones said.
Despite the planned reopening in Jarratt, an Associated Press investigation found similar sanitation problems at three other Boar's Head plants this year, including its Petersburg facility. According to the AP, the company declined to comment on these issues.
Among those killed in last year's outbreak was 88-year-old Günter "Garshon" Morgenstein of Newport News, Virginia. While Morgenstein's family reached a settlement with Boar's Head in December, other class action lawsuits related to the outbreak remain active.
When asked about the plant's planned reopening, the lawyer who represented the Morgenstein family said they were unable to comment.
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