On July 17, the inspector found “green algal growth” in a puddle of standing water in a raw holding cooler. And on July 27, an inspector noted clear liquid leaking out from a square patch on the ceiling. Behind the patch, there were two other patches that were also leaking. An employee came and wiped the liquid away with a sponge, but it returned within 10 seconds. The employee wiped it again, and the liquid again returned within 10 seconds. Meanwhile, a ceiling fan mounted close by was blowing the leaking liquid onto uncovered hams in a hallway outside the room.

A picture of hell.

  • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 months ago

    Every single major retailer with a deli section near me has switched to boar’s head within the last 2-3 years… guess they undercut everyone else on bids and got good contracts by violating health and safety laws, the American capitalist way!

    • derf82@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      In Nov 2020, the person that ran things for years died, and control passed to other family members that immediately sued each other.

      I’m any case, seems greed likely started to drive everything, they pushed expansion over safety, and wound up killing people.

      • GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        seems greed likely started to drive everything, they pushed expansion over safety, and wound up killing people.

        Thank god this is an isolated incident in corporate America. /s

      • DominusOfMegadeus@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        In

        any case, seems greed likely started to drive everything, they pushed expansion over safety, and wound up killing people.

        Chiquita, Nestle, and Boeing have entered the chat.

        • Darkaga@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Boeing and Boar’s head are killing people because of incompetence and cost cutting. Chiquita and Nestle go out in the jungle and massacre people at regular intervals just because those people don’t want to be slaves and having to pay workers hurts the bottom line.

          I put them in different categories.

      • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        a story as old as time… one person spends their life building an empire, their spoiled brat children immediately tear it down screaming

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        2 months ago

        I feel you could say this about every american company that has been around for 40 plus years. Enshittification is a real bitch

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          2 months ago

          It used to be a badge of honor to have a label footnote like “est. 1937”, but now I feel that just clarifies the enshittification time delta.

          • WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            2 months ago

            It depends on the business. Highly competitive and volatile ones, like restaurants, can still be judged by longevity, in my opinion.

            The only exception to this rule is the Chili’s on 45th Street and Lamar in Austin, Texas, which exists in a timeless negative space where businesses can not die. Will not die. They are watching.

      • SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        I remember that! They were more a specialty brand that you’d find in more upscale grocery stores. Now they’re just boring, apparently disgusting, processed meat like every other brand.

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      2 months ago

      Having managed a supermarket for about 6 years, I can tell you it’s because of the service, consistent quality and variety of choices. Their service model is similar to many of the larger bread vendors in that they sell via consignment. So you only buy what you open to sell, and they take back anything that expires or looks dodgy. Their sales reps maintain your inventory and place your orders, really saving you alot of time and reducing your risk.

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      2 months ago

      Im glad the German deli and regional super market go through more local organizations. Im also glad we can maintain damned near every type of livestock as well.

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      2 months ago

      My favorite part of that book was when it revealed that workers would go missing from time to time and later be found at the bottom of a lard rendering vat. Ha ha!

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        2 months ago

        I don’t know if I can say I have a “favorite” part of the book. The whole thing was just horrifying. I think I spent the entire time reading it with my mouth wide open.

        And how little has changed…

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          2 months ago

          I think I spent the entire time reading it with my mouth wide open.

          As a procession of cute cartoon animals jumped in. “Eat me!!!”

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      2 months ago

      After the book came out congress was shockingly fast to pass new laws. It turns out the plant profiled in the book had the contract for the congressional cafeteria. That’s how you get political change.

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    2 months ago

    Y’all would be fucking horrified by the state of food manufacturing if you knew.

    I used to work at a food processing and distribution company, in the document processing department… we weren’t strictly supposed to read the audits, especially the internal ones, but we did, to make sure they were complete and compliant, which was our job. Also our job was intensely boring and we needed something to gossip about.

    The number of our distributors (first level manufacturing) who got C or D grades on their inspections… fucking gross. I reported a few of them, but the company did not care.

    Before that I worked at a chicken hatchery. The cultures I cultured -doing an audit just like those I read later in life- were sooooo gross and problematic. But I was instructed to cover it up because, and this is important context, it was all self report after the initial inspection. I was doing this at 16, and was likely significantly more thorough than any veteran employee would have been. (Absolutely not why I was chosen; they chose me due to incredibly mild nepotism, as my manager was my step-dad, and he knew science stuff was up my alley… plus I was a filler worker, being under 18.)

    I really hope things have improved, but somehow I doubt that the past 20 years has made a positive impact from my audit experience. (The document processing was less than 10 years ago, supporting my belief nothing has changed for the better.)

      • linearchaos@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        It’s the same thing except instead of delicious properly prepared lean meat in a disgusting warehouse with awful cleanliness practices, it’s crappily prepared and spiced meat in a clean warehouse that’s not trying to kill you.

    • cybervseas@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      It’s worth a read for more than just that.

      Our guy wrote a book about the working class and immigrants being taken advantage of, and how they need to stand up for worker’s rights and unions. And the American public focused on their food being gross.

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        2 months ago

        Lithuanians practically built Northern Illinois during that era, not just Chicago, but Belvidere and Rockford too.

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    2 months ago

    Curious, does anyone know if the Jarratt, VA Boar’s Head facility mentioned in the article employees prison labor from the Greensville Correctional Center just down the street?

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    2 months ago

    I wonder how much of the state of the place upon that inspection was DUE to:

    The plant has been shut down since late July

    Like, did they say “we’re shutting down” and everyone just fucked off and left the place in a state?

    Or was it just that bad ALL the time?

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    2 months ago

    Its so much easier and safe to make your own lunch meats that I don’t get the appeal of Deli meats. My Roast Beef has 3 ingredients. The meat itself along with salt and pepper and I only buy it when under $5 a pound. Recipe is stupid easy. 375°F 20 minutes a pound. Bake uncovered. Once out of the oven, cover it for 20 minutes, then let it cool off before putting it in the fridge overnight where it will tighten back up. Turkey breast is self explained because the only ingredient is turkey breast that you bake yourself. Skip all the bologna, salami, pepperoni, olive loaf, etc. and anything with nitrates. all of your own deli meat can be cooked, then froze again to use later when meat isn’t on sale.

    • acosmichippo@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Turkey breast is self explained because the only ingredient is turkey breast that you bake yourself.

      eh you’ve gotta at least dry brine it.

        • acosmichippo@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          I mean yeah you could say that about anything if you just want simple. Personally, I would not cook a turkey breast without brining it in some way. If you are happy with plain roasted turkey, enjoy.

          • Hugin@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Agreed. Meats are usually best at 1 -1.5 % salt by weight. Equlibrium brines are a game changer. For boneless meat take a equal amount of weight it water to meat and set the salt to 3% water weight. It will balance out at about 1.5% salt in the meat. It takes about 24 hours per inch of thickness in the thinist side.

            So 1kg meat 1kg water 30g salt.

            For meat with bones reduce the meat weight in the calculation by estimating how much is bone. For a T bone reduce by about 15% for baby back ribs 40-50%.

    • aesthelete@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Its so much easier and safe to make your own lunch meats that I don’t get the appeal of Deli meats.

      It isn’t easier to make your own lunch meat than go ‘give me a pound of x’ at the counter, pay, and leave.

      To add a bit to what you’re saying though, I’ve replaced deli meats with just regular cooked meat myself. I don’t actually care that it’s not exactly the same as a cold cut sandwich because it’s food and it usually tastes about the same if not better if you put other toppings on your sandwich.

      I just grill up some chicken breast and use it in salads, sandwiches, even as pizza topping. Pretty good.

    • AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      I want to make my own turkey deli meat but literally no store around me sells turkey breast. Closest I can find is ground turkey. How do you do it?

      Closest thing I can get is pre-brined Jenny-O tenderloins, but I’d rather brine them myself.