{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://delauro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/delauro-receives-response-boars-head-regarding-listeria-outbreak", "DeLauro Receives \u201cResponse\u201d from Boar\u2019s Head Regarding Listeria Outbreak", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Rosa L. DeLauro", "D000216", "delauro.house.gov", "delauro", "https://delauro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) announced that she has received a response to her September 30 letter to Boar\u2019s Head regarding the Boar\u2019s Head plant at the center of the recent nationwide Listeria outbreak which caused 10 deaths and dozens of hospitalizations \u2013 the largest listeriosis outbreak since 2011. The plant was allowed to keep operating despite over 60 citations for noncompliance and U.S. inspectors warning that the conditions at the plant posed an imminent threat to public health two years prior to the outbreak.\n\n\u201cThis September, I demanded answers from Boar\u2019s Head about their Virginia plant\u2014the one at the center of the recent Listeria outbreak,\u201d said DeLauro. \u201cWhat I received in return was not a credible response; it was a classic corporate dodge. They skirted almost every substantive question, from how they test for contaminants, to their alarmingly vague plans to prevent another deadly outbreak. The American people will not be satisfied with marketing fluff or half-truths\u2014they deserve straight answers. Honesty and accountability are essential to prevent another outbreak. If Boar\u2019s Head thinks it can brush this inquiry off and slip back to business as usual, they are wrong. I will not stop pushing until we know exactly what went wrong, precisely how they are fixing it, and who is finally going to take responsibility. If they thought this flimsy, PR-driven response to a Congressional inquiry would get them off the hook, they were wrong. I expect a real, substantive response, and soon.\u201d\n\nBoar\u2019s Head failed to answer several questions raised by DeLauro in her September 30 letter, including:\n\nNo confirmation if they plan to reopen the Virginia plant at the center of the Listeria outbreak\n\nNo clear commitment to improving plant\u2019s infrastructure or explanation how Boar\u2019s Head plans to prevent noncompliances in the future\n\nNo response on explaining their past food safety policies\n\nNo response on why staff did not act sooner to address food safety concerns or how management will be held accountable\n\nNo response on the frequency Boar\u2019s Head conducted microbial testing\n\nNo response on testing data as requested.\n\nNo word if Boar\u2019s Head tested non-contact food surfaces\n\nNo response on whether third party inspections were conducted before the recall\n\nNo response on how HQ handled food safety concerns and\n\nLimited information on the documented steps of the recall.\n\nYou can read Boar\u2019s Head\u2019s response here. DeLauro\u2019s September 30 letters to Boar\u2019s Head can be found here and her letter to the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) can be found here. DeLauro is still waiting for a response from FSIS.\n\nThe United States Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) just announced key reformsyesterday that were raised by DeLauro in her September 30 letter to the agency. Notable changes include:\n\nFSIS adding broader Listeria species testing to all samples of ready-to-eat product, environmental and food contact surfaces.\n\nFSIS updating its instructions and training for food safety inspectors to better equip the workforce to recognize and highlight systemic problems in a standardized way.\n\nFSIS field supervisors conducting in-person, follow-up visits when systemic issues are identified during a Food Safety Assessment.\n\nFSIS clarifying state and Federal requirements for consistent oversight of Talmadge-Aiken (TA) programs through updated cooperative agreements and instructions.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://delauro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/delauro-receives-response-boars-head-regarding-listeria-outbreak"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.9820981435477734, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}