Boar’s Head agrees to $3.1M settlement tied to recalled meat products

Boar’s Head Provisions’ recall of 7 million pounds of deli meat due to a deadly listeria outbreak last year, which put 60 people in the hospital and killed 10 others, has resulted in a class action lawsuit and a proposed $3.1 million settlement. The July 2024 outbreak originated at Boar’s Head meat production facility in Jarratt, which has closed.

In July 2024, the deli meat company voluntarily recalled 7 million pounds of 71 ready-to-eat products after testing confirmed listeria contamination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of November 2024, 61 cases tied to the listeria outbreak were reported in 19 states, with 60 hospitalizations and 10 deaths. Deaths were reported in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico and South Carolina.

The class action lawsuit against Boar’s Head was filed in U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York, accusing the company of “deceptive and misleading business practices” regarding the manufacturing, marketing and sale of Boar’s Head brand products. It accused the company of improperly, deceptively and misleadingly labeling and marketed its products by omitting and not disclosing to consumers on its packaging that the products are contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, which could lead to serious and life-threatening adverse health consequences.

The lawsuit said the recall was insufficient, and that to be eligible for a refund, the consumer needed to have retained the products.

A court-authorized notice says that Boar’s Head and the plaintiffs had reached a proposed settlement of $3.1 million, which would be paid to plaintiffs and eligible class members. The settlement still needs to be approved by the court.

To be eligible, you must have purchased any of the covered products, in the United States, between May 10, 2024, and August 12, 2024, for personal, family or household use and not for resale. The deadline to submit a claim is May 16.

The settlement allows for class members who provide a proof of purchase of the covered products to be refunded the full purchase price for each unit listed on the proof of purchase, inclusive of all taxes. Those who don’t have a proof of purchase will receive the average retail price for up to two covered products claimed per household.

Claims can be submitted at: www.coldcutrecallsettlement.com/submit-claim

Despite agreeing to the settlement, Boar’s Head has denied any wrongdoing.

In the past year leading up to the outbreak, government inspectors logged 69 instances of “noncompliance” with federal rules at the deli meat plant, according to documents obtained through Associated Press public information requests. The reported instances included mold, insects, liquid dripping from ceilings, and meat and fat residue on walls, floors and equipment.

On July 31, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service notified Boar’s Head it was withholding its federal marks of inspection and suspending operations of ready-to-eat products at its meat production facility in Jarratt until Boar’s Head provided adequate written corrective and preventive measures to assure FSIS that it demonstrated a program that meets the regulatory requirements.

But in September 2024, Boar’s Head announced that it was indefinitely shutting down the Jarratt facility, although it had not been operating since late July, after the CDC opened an investigation. About 500 union workers were employed at the plant.