Boar’s Head is a renowned name in the deli meat and cheese industry, known for its wide range of products distributed throughout the United States. Given the company is currently in the news over a food contamination scare, one question might arise for consumers familiar with the brand: is Boar’s Head publicly traded?
Boar’s Head
Founded in 1905 by Frank A. Brunckhorst, Boar’s Head Provisions started as a small company specializing in deli meats and cheeses. Over the years, the company expanded its reach, becoming a staple in supermarkets, delicatessens, and gourmet food stores across the U.S. The comapny is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida.
Is Boar’s Head publicly traded?
Despite its widespread recognition, Boar’s Head is not a publicly traded company. It remains a privately held entity, meaning a select group of stakeholders owns it and is not listed on any stock exchange. The company is still controlled by the Brunckhorst family, who have maintained its operations as a private enterprise since its inception.
As a private company, Boar’s Head is not required to disclose its financial information to the public, unlike publicly traded companies. This allows it to operate without pressure to meet quarterly earnings expectations or satisfy shareholders, a hallmark of many publicly listed corporations. Instead, Boar’s Head has focused on long-term growth, quality control, and maintaining its brand reputation.
Boar’s Head and the listeria outbreak
Recently, Boar’s Head has been at the center of a food safety crisis. The company recalled millions of pounds of deli meats after a listeria outbreak was linked to products from its Jarratt, Virginia, facility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the outbreak has resulted in 57 hospitalizations across 18 states and at least nine deaths. States affected by the fatalities include South Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, and New York.
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause severe illness, especially in pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. It can spread through water, mist, contaminated surfaces, and improper sanitation practices. In this case, federal food inspectors found numerous violations at Boar’s Head’s Virginia plant, including the presence of mold, mildew, and insects.
Boar’s Head responded with an extensive recall of its products and has temporarily suspended operations at the Virginia facility. In an official statement released on August 29, 2024, the company stated, “We are conducting an extensive investigation, working closely with the USDA and government regulatory agencies, as well as with the industry’s leading food safety experts, to determine how our liverwurst produced at our Jarratt, Virginia, facility was adulterated and to prevent it from happening again.”
The company further emphasized that it would not resume operations at the plant until it was confident that all USDA regulatory standards were met and the facility adhered to Boar’s Head’s own high safety and quality benchmarks.
Legal fallout from the listeria outbreak
As a result of the listeria outbreak, Boar’s Head now faces at least seven lawsuits. The cases range from personal injury claims to wrongful death and deceptive marketing practices. The lawsuits seek damages ranging from $25,000 to over $5 million, reflecting the severity of the illnesses and deaths associated with the contaminated products.
Among those who have filed lawsuits is Ashley Solberg, a Minnesota resident who was 35 weeks pregnant when she fell ill after consuming Boar’s Head deli meat purchased in Florida. Solberg was hospitalized for six days with a listeria infection that matched the outbreak strain, and she is seeking over $75,000 in damages for the impact on her health and her unborn child.
Similarly, Gunter Morgenstein, an 88-year-old New Yorker, died after consuming contaminated liverwurst in July 2024. His family has filed a wrongful death suit, alleging that his death was caused by sepsis and listeria meningitis due to Boar’s Head’s negligence.
Other lawsuits involve individuals from Missouri, Alabama, Illinois, and California, each accusing Boar’s Head of failing to properly inform the public about the risks associated with its products and for inadequately addressing the contamination.
