The recent listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head products has sent shockwaves through the cold cuts industry, sparking widespread panic and a sharp decline in consumer confidence. As the Boar’s Head brand grapples with a deadly recall that has claimed ten lives and sickened dozens, grocery stores, sandwich chains, and deli counters are feeling the fallout — and experts warn that it could take a year or more for the industry to recover.
The deadly outbreak, which was traced back to a Virginia plant in July, resulted in the recall of more than 7 million pounds of meat. While Boar’s Head has not disclosed the financial impact, the numbers are already telling a grim story. Sales of cold cuts have plummeted, with some areas reporting a dramatic 33% drop in cold cut sales across the board, and a staggering 50% dip in Boar’s Head sales alone.
Avi Kaner, co-owner of the Morton Williams supermarket chain in New York, confirmed that customers are switching to other brands. “Shoppers have shifted their buying habits in a big way,” Kaner said. The Boar’s Head brand, once a household name, has lost its once-loyal customer base, as consumers hesitate to purchase products from a company embroiled in such a deadly food safety scandal.
Retailers are responding to the crisis by distancing themselves from Boar’s Head. Some supermarkets in the metro New York area have even stopped promoting the brand in their weekly circulars. “It’s going to take a lot to win back consumer trust,” one grocery executive told The Post, adding that the outbreak’s death toll has left a lasting scar on the reputation of the beloved brand. This is especially true when the very industry leader in cold cuts faces such a public disaster.
In an effort to recoup some of the lost market share, smaller, family-owned brands like Thumann’s are capitalizing on the void left by Boar’s Head. Despite picking up new accounts with retailers and distributors who abandoned the troubled brand, Thumann’s CEO, Robert Burke, reported a 10% decline in sales since the outbreak. To restore consumer confidence, the company has launched a public relations campaign, with ads and disclaimers on social media assuring customers that its products were not affected by the recall.
But the damage extends beyond grocery store shelves. Sandwich chains, already struggling with declining customer traffic in recent months, are also feeling the heat. Chains like Subway, Jersey Mike’s, Arby’s, and Jimmy John’s, which rely heavily on deli meats for their menus, have reported flat or declining sales. Some have gone as far as posting signs to reassure customers that they do not use Boar’s Head products. The food service industry, including caterers, is also getting hit, with many turning to “house-made” and “hand-carved” meats to assure customers that their offerings are safe.
As the cold cuts industry reels from the impact of the listeria outbreak, experts say recovery could take up to a year or longer. Food safety attorney Bill Marler points to similar outbreaks in the past, such as the 1993 E. coli incident with Jack in the Box and the 2006 spinach E. coli outbreak, both of which devastated their respective industries for months, if not longer. “The entire spinach industry was devastated,” Marler said. “It took years for consumers to regain their trust.”
It’s clear that the Boar’s Head listeria scandal has cast a long shadow over the cold cuts market, and consumers’ anxiety over tainted deli meats is unlikely to dissipate quickly. For now, the industry is left picking up the pieces, hoping that time will heal the wounds — but it could be a long road ahead.
