USDA launches an internal investigation into the deadly Boar’s Head outbreak

AP Health Writer

U.S. Agriculture Department officials have launched an internal investigation into how the agency handled reports of serious problems tied to a deadly listeria outbreak at a Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Virginia. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says that the USDA inspector general is looking into whether federal investigators and state inspectors responded appropriately to dozens of reports of problems at the factory. At least 10 people died and nearly 50 were hospitalized since May after eating Boar’s Head products, including liverwurst. The Boar’s Head plant in Jarratt was inspected under a program that allows state inspectors to act on behalf of the federal agency. The company shut down the plant in September.