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.

  • Kiernian@lemmy.world
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    4 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?

  • SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net
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    4 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.)

      • SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net
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        4 months ago

        Not where I expected that to go, but then… I never know where to expect comedians to go… I think that’s the point.

        Anyway, keeping to the subject, when I worked at the hatchery there was this guy… he was the guy who killed all the male babies, and that was his whole job… he was fucking weird, in a bad way, and we all gave him tons of space. It didn’t bother him at all to kill thousands of birds in a single day as just his normal job. That’s all.

          • SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net
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            4 months ago

            He honestly isn’t really my cup of tea… I love stand-up, but his stuff always just felt wrong to me, and not like politically wrong but…

            Norm-violating wrong.

            (Hehehehehehehe)

        • cows_are_underrated@feddit.org
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          4 months ago

          You get used to the cruelty. It may feel wrong for a short period of time, but you get used to and at some point don’t care. I currently work at a small(about 200 pigs) “piglin farm”, where they raise pigs and sell them to other farmers. Part of the morning routine involves cutting the tails and teeth’s of all new born piglins. It was quite of a shock at the beginning, but even after 1 week I realise it being jot as shocking ad in the beginning, even though I still absolutely hat it for having to do this. Luckyly I only have to work there for 3 more weeks.

          • SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net
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            4 months ago

            My bad. I’m not a comedian. Idk where the line is between “so real it’s funny” and “so real it’s not funny”… it’s just a thing I experienced.

            So here we are.

            Sorry.

    • Hugin@lemmy.world
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      4 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.

    • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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      4 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!

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        4 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…

        • Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          4 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!!!”

      • Monstrosity@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        That’s nice to say, but actually your meat consumption is fucking everyone up, even people who choose to live their lives the way they like and not fuck the Planet up because they lack the willpower to resist that tasty tasty carcass at literally every meal.

        • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          4 months ago

          your meat consumption is fucking everyone up, even people who choose to live their lives the way they like and not fuck the Planet up

          eating meat has no impact on the planet.

            • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              4 months ago

              modern methods seem to have some issues, i can grant you that. being vegan doesn’t decrease the size of the industry, or its pollution, though.

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Why do you assume everyone who eats meat has it every meal? I’ve spent years not living like that and never fully stopped eating meat

          • Monstrosity@lemm.ee
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            4 months ago

            I appreciate the point you’re trying to make but if you look into it, our meat habit is far and away one of, if not the biggest, climate challenges we face. We cannot continue consuming meat at our current pace and curb global warming, it’s that simple. And while my initial post is extremely judgemental, I really just wish people would start paying attention to how much meat they eat. Is it really necessary? Really? Every meal? Considering the resources meat requires to harvest, I don’t think so, but, sure, harp on my clothes, bro/broette.

            • SteveFromMySpace@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              4 months ago

              Here’s the thing: I think vegans (and vegetarians to a lesser degree) get a bad rap. I think people go out of their way to attack them for no reason other than vegans generally lead us to hold a mirror up to our consumption habits just by being around, even if they say nothing about it. The Only crime I’ll see vegans commit generally is existing, yet people endlessly mock the decision as if somehow it’s an attack on them personally even though it doesn’t impact what is on their plate in the slightest.

              That being said: if you actually want to have a discussion about this, then your first comment one shouldn’t be coming in so hot and actually attacking people/finger pointing. Unless your goal is to look and feel superior and not actually convince people to change their lifestyle habits.

              I don’t actually think what I asked you was completely fair. But the point is if you’re going to come at people like that then you’re basically begging for people to pick apart every consumption decision you make and then you’ve lost the thread entirely. I think you’ll have a hard time making progress when everyone perceives you as saying “my sacrifice is greater than your sacrifice“ if you got into an argument with, say, someone who is against the harvesting and use of oil and gas.

              • Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                4 months ago

                That being said: if you actually want to have a discussion about this

                Why is a discussion necessary? The facts are there.

                It’s like global warming: at some point all you can do is be angry about it and keep pointing at reality.

                • SteveFromMySpace@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                  4 months ago

                  Because a significant portion of the world doesn’t agree with you so you need buy-in.

                  Why is getting angry the only thing you can do? Sounds like a lack of imagination to me. How passionate are you about this if you’re already resigned to the idea that any attempt to persuade/convince is a waste of time?

                  Do you think angrily pointing it out to random groups is going to produce results?

            • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              4 months ago

              if you look into it, our meat habit is far and away one of, if not the, biggest climate challenges we face.

              citation needed

              • Monstrosity@lemm.ee
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                4 months ago

                I mean, sure. Try a search engine. It’s not exactly lost knowledge of the Ancients.

                • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  4 months ago

                  my searches don’t substantiate your claim. i am not responsible for supporting your claim: you are. if you cannot, there is no reason to believe it to be true.

    • archonet@lemy.lol
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      Friendly reminder that nobody asked you for your opinion on others choices, and it’s a shit one.

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    4 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 and got good contracts by violating health and safety laws, the American capitalist way!

    • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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      4 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.

      • Retrograde@lemmy.world
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        4 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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          4 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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            4 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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        4 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.

    • derf82@lemmy.world
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      4 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.

      • DominusOfMegadeus@sh.itjust.works
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        4 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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          4 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.

      • GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
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        4 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

    • Sarmyth@lemmy.world
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      4 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.

  • SirNameHere@lemmy.world
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    4 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?

  • SnausagesinaBlanket@lemmy.world
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    4 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.

    • would_be_appreciated@lemmy.ml
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      4 months ago

      Most things are pretty easy. One problem is having the time to do literally everything yourself. The other is deciding whether that time spent doing optional tasks is worth the time not spent doing more meaningful activities.

    • aesthelete@lemmy.world
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      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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      4 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.

    • acosmichippo@lemmy.world
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      4 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.

      • SnausagesinaBlanket@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        eh you’ve gotta at least dry brine it.

        The process of cooking a frozen turkey breast is incredibly simple. Remove the wrapping and place your completely frozen turkey breast side up on a roasting pan. Cook on the middle or bottom rack of the oven at 325 degrees. No brine, no spices. I do this every other month and its cheap and easy.

        • acosmichippo@lemmy.world
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          4 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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            4 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%.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    This is why you too should become vegan. It’s tough the first week but it gets easier and eventually you just wonder why people still murder animals to consume their flesh like uneducated barbarians.

    • Texas_Hangover@lemy.lol
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      4 months ago

      Fuck you. I’m gonna go kill something and eat it, just because you pissed me off with this stupid dunbass comment.

    • sue_me_please@awful.systems
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      4 months ago

      Agree with your premise, but supply chains for all food are horrendous. Leafy greens are the food that are most likely to give someone food poisoning, although the diseases are usually animal waste-borne.

        • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Exactly. I don’t know what I could say to others but go watch conspiracy and seaspiracy on Netflix when you are at a weak point in your life…got an F? Wife left you? Went to jail because you drove over a cat? Go watch.

          Secondly I gotta tell you all. I’m not very good at brushing my teeth and I always always had my teeth feel like decaying right after eating meats, beef or chicken for example. I would feel the need to go floss, or I would have that stupid thread of muscle stuck between my teeth for days. That’s a thing of the past. Now all I have to do is not eat acidic foods like soda or vinegar too much and remember to brush and floss. I clean my teeth when I want for the purpose of cleaning them and not because I have something stuck between them. It’s a motivator for me for sure. Meats have loads of bacteria in them that fruits and vegetables do not.

      • beefpig@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        By purchasing meat from companies like this, you absolutely are. Support your local butcher if you do consume.

          • beefpig@sh.itjust.works
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            4 months ago

            By giving them your money, you are funding the operation of the plants that produce the meat. And lining the pockets of those that make the decisions to act this way. It is not meaningless.

            If you don’t give them money, it hurts their bottom line and forces either change or the shutting down of the business. You can speak volumes through making more ethical decisions about where your money goes.

            • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              4 months ago

              By giving them your money, you are funding the operation of the plants that produce the meat

              most people don’t give money to BoarsHead. they give it to a grocer.

            • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              4 months ago

              You can speak volumes through making more ethical decisions about where your money goes.

              no matter what i buy at the grocery store, my money goes to the grocer.

              • RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works
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                4 months ago

                If were being pedantic, if you purchase with a card your money actually goes to the bank, who transfers it to Visa, who transfers it to the grocer. The grocer restocks the item you purchased, transferring a portion of your money (less all the upstream overhead/fees) to the manufacturer of your purchased good.

                If people stop buying products with a harmful supply chain, grocers stop stocking it. They’re not just putting processed deli meat on the shelves because they think meat bricks look cool.

                • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  4 months ago

                  The grocer restocks the item you purchased, transferring a portion of your money (less all the upstream overhead/fees) to the manufacturer of your purchased good.

                  they can choose not to do that. it’s not as though they literally re-order every product the moment they sell a unit.

                • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  4 months ago

                  If people stop buying products with a harmful supply chain, grocers stop stocking it.

                  this isn’t causal, and the grocers can choose to stop stocking it for any reason or no reason.

                • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  4 months ago

                  They’re not just putting processed deli meat on the shelves because they think meat bricks look cool.

                  whatever their reason, it’s their choice, not mine.

                • Malfeasant@lemm.ee
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                  4 months ago

                  To be super pedantic, no, ownership of your money never transfers to visa. When your card is swiped (tapped, whatever) visa (or mc or Amex or whoever else) facilitates communication between your bank and the merchant’s bank, but no money moves yet. At the end of the day the merchant settles out those transactions, but that’s still just data. The money moves typically a day or two later, and that is done directly between the customer and merchant’s bank. Source: worked in credit card processing for ~9 years.