ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded its investigation into the multi-state Listeria outbreak linked to the meat processor Boar’s Head Provisions. In its final update on the case, the agency said 10 people died and 61 became ill.

“Epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback data showed that meats sliced at deli counters, including Boar’s Head brand liverwurst, were contaminated with Listeria and made people sick,” the CDC said in the update. The agency added that the “true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses.”

Even with the CDC declaring the Listeria outbreak over, there are still ongoing investigations by the US Department of Agriculture into the management of the Jarratt, Va., facility, as well as consumer lawsuits.

Boar’s Head initiated the recall of over 7 million lbs of ready-to-eat meat products in July after the Maryland Department of Health notified the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of a detection of Listeria in a collected sample of Boar’s Head products.

Documents from the USDA indicated there were issues about food safety protocol going back two years at the Jarratt facility. While the USDA earlier disclosed 69 instances of noncompliance between Aug. 1, 2023, and Aug. 2, 2024, at the Jarratt facility, a more recently released report revealed violations as early as 2022.

The second round of inspection citations fell between January 2022 and June 2023. One note from the USDA categorized the facility as an “imminent threat” before the outbreak.

As a result of the outbreak, Boar’s Head closed the Virginia processing plant, where the recalled products were manufactured.