{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/boars-head-linked-listeria-outbreak-blumenthal-announces-federal-investigation-into-usda-response", "Boar's Head-Linked Listeria Outbreak: Blumenthal Announces Federal Investigation into USDA Response", "2024-10-15", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the below statement today on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspector General (IG) Phyllis Fong opening an investigation into the agency\u2019s handling of repeated sanitary violations found at the Virginia Boar\u2019s Head plant linked to a deadly nationwide Listeria outbreak.\n\n\u201cI welcome the Inspector General heeding my call for investigation of USDA\u2019s abject failure to protect consumers against fatally contaminated Boar\u2019s Head products,\u201d said Blumenthal. \u201cUSDA took virtually no action\u2014allowing Boar\u2019s Head to continue business as usual at its chronically unsanitary Virginia plant\u2014despite finding repeated serious violations. The Virginia plant should have been shut down years ago before people got sick or died from Listeria. The IG investigation is a vital first step to assure accountability and prevent such deadly mistakes from happening again.\u201d\n\n\"When we discovered the failures within the Food and Drug Administration's response to credible reports of contaiminated infant formula leading to the 2022 crisis, I swiftly requested an OIG investigation to understand where the FDA fell short,\" said Congresswoman DeLauro. \"Thanks to that investigation, we have a much clearer account of FDA's missteps. This will help us prevent similar issues in the future. In the same vein, I applaud USDA OIG Fong for opening an investigation to understand how the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) failed to act on repeated reports of 'noncompliance' with federal rules and poor facility conditions at Boar's Head, ultimately leading to a recall of Listeria-contaminated products in which ten lives were lost. To prevent future food safety crises, we must get to the bottom of what went wrong.\"\n\nOn September 5, 2024, Blumenthal wrote to IG Fong urging an investigation into USDA\u2019s handling of previous safety violations at the Boar\u2019s Head plant in Jarratt, Virginia, following reports that the plant was permitted to continue operating even after government inspectors found dozens of instances of \u201cnoncompliance\u201d with federal food safety rules and reported disturbing conditions at the plant.\n\nThe IG investigation announced today will determine if proper corrective and enforcement actions for reported noncompliances at the Boar\u2019s Head plant were implemented; and if the agency has an effective process to identify, elevate, and address recurring noncompliances reported at State-inspected establishments to reduce the risk of adulterated products from entering the food supply.\n\nOn September 26, 2024, Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) wrote to USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland calling on USDA to work closely with DOJ to determine whether to bring criminal charges against Boar\u2019s Head for their responsibility in the outbreak. Blumenthal and DeLauro also urged USDA to strengthen its Listeria prevention protocols and investigate other Boar\u2019s Head locations for safety violations.\n\nBlumenthal\u2019s letter to IG Fong is available here. Blumenthal and DeLauro\u2019s to Secretary Vilsack and AG Garland is available here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"]], "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://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/boars-head-linked-listeria-outbreak-blumenthal-announces-federal-investigation-into-usda-response"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8621399067342281, "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"}