Boar’s Head to reopen plant as mold and funky meat problems pop up elsewhere
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It should be noted that inspections are scheduled well in advance, so the plant KNOWS its coming and prepares.
So when violations are found, those are the things that didn't get cleaned up in time.
So when violations are found, those are the things that didn't get cleaned up in time.
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Ironically the “pink-slime exposé” was more pink-slime journalism than actual (strictly) factual reporting.
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poke 532810
Ars Praetorian
Years ago, I worked at a fish processing plant, and we scrubbed that place top to bottom every single day. Everything was cleaned and sterilized: machines, tables, drain grates, etc. The walls, floors, and drains were all hosed down and sterilized. Everything was checked to ensure there were no scraps of meat or offal left behind. Even before lunch and dinner breaks, we dumped the gut buckets, hosed the tables and floors down, and iced the fish that weren’t in the freezer yet. When we did get an inspection, the only issue they found was a conduit that had gotten bent and could have collected water inside.
I cannot speak for other processing plants, but conditions like those described in this article simple would not have been tolerated at the plant where I worked. There is absolutely no excuse for any food processing plant having conditions like the Boar’s Head plants.
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Sorry, but I'm never touching their products again after the first story. Everyone wants to point at management and they are absolutely to blame, but so are the rank and file who worked in that plant. Absolutely shameful top to bottom.
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That really isn't an industry where you can 'take the day off' in regards to cleaning.
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I am just wondering how extensive it is and is Boar's Head just the pariah of the day.
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The company is run like a protection racket, their products are gross, and a lot of what they sell (cheeses, sauces, dips and marinades) are made by outside contractors. I wouldn't buy their stuff if you gave me a 99% off coupon.
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They made a really awesome garlic baloney that I guess was canned after the first issue and has never come back since.
Sad but this is how it goes here in the USofA.
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I guess this is just what happens with budget meat brands. Can't cheap out when you're buying this stuff.
(/s, obviously)
I'm honestly grateful that they charge such high prices for their stuff, so that I have never been tempted to buy it. I don't think I ever will.
(/s, obviously)
I'm honestly grateful that they charge such high prices for their stuff, so that I have never been tempted to buy it. I don't think I ever will.
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No, it isn't, and the question is extremely fucking racist.
Management is the one responsible for keeping the plants clean, end of fucking story.
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Sinclair shone a light on the sordid issues in meatpacking, pockets of which--as this ongoing debacle shows--still exist. That Boars Head is still to this day owned by the Brunckhorst and Bischoff families who came of age in that particular Jungle, whose odious business practices go well beyond slipshod sanitation, is certainly an indictment on them as opposed to the true craftspeople doing excellent, reputable work in this industry rather than simply buying advertising and wooing influencers to promote demonstrably false claims to be among them.
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I hated Boar's Head before any of this because of their arrogant branding and increased cost with zero perceptible different from store brands, this only makes it all the worse.
I also hate Liquid Death for this reason too. Water is now like $8 at festivals, though that seems harder to screw up than meat, sadly.
I also hate Liquid Death for this reason too. Water is now like $8 at festivals, though that seems harder to screw up than meat, sadly.
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And Trump wonders why the rest of the world does not want to buy American meat?
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Bear in mind not even Americans wanted to buy Trump-branded steaks. Now that's telling.
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Wonder if Sysco ses BH. They supply a lof of chains like Jimmy John's. Not that I ever eat there, but where else uses them?
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Derp Derpus
Ars Centurion
Several years ago I worked for a company that maintained the equipment in meat processing plants and large grocery stores. I was on the road doing service work for them. Out of hundreds only two stood out as being excellent, the rest ranged from average to downright horrid. This was in a large city in the Midwest known for producing large amounts of meat products. I knew the quality of meats used in every fast food and regular restaurant for a 75 mile radius. I quit eating all fast food at that point.
I still live in the same area and will only buy deli meats from one of the two sources I stated above as excellent. The other of the two is a professional meat purveyor that only sells to high-end commercial accounts (they sell to me at wholesale market prices because the owner and I are friends). They've been in business since 1880 and have never had any scares or issues I'm aware of. Only a few select stores carry their products. They're more expensive than average deli meats yet cheaper than Boar's Head and have far less ingredients and no preservatives in most of their products. Ironically the local "trendy" grocery store carries several of their products (and they make the things the store sells under its own label) yet when I'm there the majority of customers ask for the more expensive and lower quality Boar's Head offerings. I suspect Boar's Head allows retailers to have higher profit margins because of their advertising claiming to be the best quality (which they most definitely aren't). Buying locally sourced things (this area still has German and Polish sausage companies dating back 140+ years that are still family owned and run) you know what you're actually getting.
I still live in the same area and will only buy deli meats from one of the two sources I stated above as excellent. The other of the two is a professional meat purveyor that only sells to high-end commercial accounts (they sell to me at wholesale market prices because the owner and I are friends). They've been in business since 1880 and have never had any scares or issues I'm aware of. Only a few select stores carry their products. They're more expensive than average deli meats yet cheaper than Boar's Head and have far less ingredients and no preservatives in most of their products. Ironically the local "trendy" grocery store carries several of their products (and they make the things the store sells under its own label) yet when I'm there the majority of customers ask for the more expensive and lower quality Boar's Head offerings. I suspect Boar's Head allows retailers to have higher profit margins because of their advertising claiming to be the best quality (which they most definitely aren't). Buying locally sourced things (this area still has German and Polish sausage companies dating back 140+ years that are still family owned and run) you know what you're actually getting.
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Apparently they live by the old adage "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"
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Mindy Brashears was just appointed as an undersecretary in the FDA, and was in the same position under the previous Trump regime, where she relaxed health standards. I think the was the one that was ok with selling meat past it's shelf date.
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This is a stupid adage. Always has been. Hairline fractures of the scapula (on 3 separate occasions) did NOT kill me. It also didn't make my shoulder stronger. Not a bit.
( „Was mich nicht sterbt, mich stärkt,” is the formulation in his ephemera; the published version is „Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker” which seems decidedly less "Nietzsche-like" if you ask me. He tends towards that first sort of very short, very pithy phrasing and I'm surprised the version from his notebooks isn't what ended up published in Twilight of the Idols.)
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"On sale for a limited time at TRUMP DELI (TM)(C)(R, lots and lots of R)."
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Or Boars Head, if we don't kill you, wait and we will try again.
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I was looking for a quick healthy lunch the other day at the local supermarket. They have various salads and sandwiches individually packaged in plastic containers and ready to eat. Browsing the salad selections, I spotted one salad that said it had Boar's Head meat. Needless to say, I passed and decided a roasted turkey sandwich was a better choice. Two days later and I'm okay.
The supermarket chain is the regional 800 pound gorilla and highly regarded.
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Never buying Boars Head. Never buying cold cuts again. Only eating meat that I cook.
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You’re right. It’s also going to get worse because the workforce is being targeted for prison or deportation, and they’re going to have a really hard time finding legal labor.
I wouldn’t be surprised if private ICE prisons start contracting with meat packing plants and farms to sell those “prisoners” back to the companies, take their cut (with a portion of that going to Dump), and pay the workers ridiculously low prison wages like .25 cents per hour.
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I was reading the summary in my newsfeed and thought 'why is this on Ars?' when I came upon the phrase "and a large quantity of pooling meat juice", then I knew this was a Beth Mole article and just clicked to full text. Never stop, never change.
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"Boar’s Head has an unwavering commitment to food safety and quality," the company said
My personal commitment to food safety and quality means I don't buy from companies that aren't serious about food safety. I WIN!
My personal commitment to food safety and quality means I don't buy from companies that aren't serious about food safety. I WIN!
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Me too. I used to eat Oscar Mayer Deli Turkey in my sandwiches because I thought it was healthy. I stopped after the Boar's Head deaths and sicknesses. I never got sick from the Oscar Mayer deli meats though. I had an unopened package ($10) I decided to just chuck into the trash. I thought about feeding it to the wildlife but didn't want to harm the animals. Also, I kept reading about how unhealthy ultra processed foods (and meats) are for your health.
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That's what the FAA did with Boeing. The inspectors were Boeing employees. Doesn't rake a genius to guess where their loyalty lay, a job and paycheck or unemployment. Of course Jenius Trump wouldn't give a damn as long as he benefits. Who watch's the watchers?
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Milton Friedman was the worst "economist" of our time. I'm a shareholder with my investments, but insuring the company's future is essential too. Anyone know if they still adore him at the Chicago School of Business? As it is, I would not trust a graduate of Chicago School of Business and especially not a Jack Welch protege. I once worked for a GE subsidiary and saw his idiocy from within. The subsidiary was once the pioneer and leader in it's field, now gone to history. BTW, Boeing's current CEO is a Welch devotee. I don't see Boeing surviving which is tragic.
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What's wrong with you?
Protecting people from evil minded people isn't a waste of resources. Yes, there's always a way to bypass the tamper proof packaging but requires more ingenuity and thought process than the vast majority of evil minded people. Only Ted Kaczynski was smart enough to escape as long as he did, but not enough as his brother saw a connection. Thankfully his brother, David, had more morals than Ted.
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I thought negligent manslaughter was almost certain to get a conviction. But of course he did not do any time! Sameasiteverwas.
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I'm puzzled by that adage still being quoted. Ask a polio victim that. Fortunately polio is largely eliminated in the western world by vaccines.
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For now...just give Brainworm some time! TBH I would be unsurprised at this point if the Nazi's in charge released smallpox back into the world.
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I will never risk it by buying from them again, and this makes me think I made the right chocie.
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10 dead and 50 more hospitalized. They keep showing how every plant is in shit shape and the judgements are going to be punitive.
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