Boar’s Head New Castle plant cited for general filth INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Newly released reports by the U.S. Agriculture Department described conditions in multiple Boar’s Head plants, including one in Indiana, according to The Associated Press. The reports documented instances of meat and fat residue left on equipment walls and “general filth” at the plant in New Castle, Indiana. Other plants in Forrest City, Arkansas and Petersburg, Virgina were included in the report. The report described dripping condensation falling on food and mold and insect problems dating back six years. The USDA released the reports in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Associated Press and other news organizations. The problems appear to be similar to problems found at a Jarratt, VA plant that was linked to a food poisoning outbreak. Other issues described in the report include: — Equipment “covered in meat scraps” in 2019. — “Dry crusted meat from the previous day’s production” and “dark, stinky residue” left behind in 2020. — A doorway covered in “dried meat juices and grime” in 2021. — Green mold and flaking paint in 2022. — “Unidentified slime” and “an abundance of insects” in 2023. — A puddle of “blood, debris and trash” in 2024. Boar’s Head officials said in an email Monday that the violations documented in the three factories “do not meet our high standards.” The company’s remaining plants continue to operate under normal USDA oversight, they added. The Sarasota, Florida-based company has marketed itself for decades as a premier provider of deli meats and cheeses, advertising “excellence that stands apart in every bite.” Records from a fourth Boar’s Head plant in Holland, Michigan, do not show similar problems. Boar’s Head stopped making liverwurst and shuttered its Jarratt, Virginia, plant in September after listeria poisoning tied to the product sickened more than 60 people in 19 states, including 10 who died. Health officials in Maryland initially discovered listeria contamination in a package of unopened liverwurst. The company recalled more than 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat deli meat and poultry sold nationwide. About 2.6 million pounds was eventually recovered, according to the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Boar’s Head faces multiple lawsuits connected to the outbreak. In a report released Friday, USDA officials said “inadequate sanitation practices” at the Jarratt plant contributed to the outbreak. Product residue, condensation and structural problem in the buildings were key factors, the agency found. State inspectors working in partnership with USDA had documented mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment, the AP previously reported.