A September 2024 Gallup poll revealed that nearly 30% of U.S. adults have little to no confidence in the safety of U.S. foods at the grocery store. Considering recent recalls, is it any wonder? What good is a quality control program if it doesn’t include food safety?

Boar’s Head’s Jarratt, Virginia, liverwurst plant—closed recently due to a serious outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm)—isn’t the first facility to have a resident strain of the bacteria that caused a recall of several products and/or closed the facility (in some cases, permanently). In October 2024, BrucePac recalled 11,765,285 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken due to possible Lm contamination, which affected a large number of manufacturers’ products (USDA update 10-17-24).

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