# Will anybody want to buy anything from Boar's Head again? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 13, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232 "2024-09-13T20:07:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/21 "2024-09-13T23:25:36Z")
I have a bunch of Boar’s Head in the fridge. When I’m done with it, I’ll buy more. On the west coast, this hasn’t affected availability at all. In my opinion, the quality of their products is better than anything else available commercially in my area. If I get some inkling that this was a company-wide problem, as opposed to traceable to a single plant, I’ll change my mind. Just my opinion. I would like to see some heads roll in regard to those responsible, however. ---
**Author:** ![mundylion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundylion/32/3604_2.png) [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/22 "2024-09-13T23:26:49Z")
I don’t understand the drama here. Many companies have issues with production, and very few of them die because of it. I buy boars head once in a while, at least when they have some thing that I’m looking for that is otherwise unavailable, but nothing that they did in some location is it going to Affect my purchasing decisions And nobody cares what a few people on some obscure Internet site are saying. There’s absolutely nothing about this in the newspapers here in the Midwest. We will all survive. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/23 "2024-09-13T23:39:17Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I’ve bought stuff from Boar’s Head and survived with no ill effects but I doubt I’ll buy anything from them again. The company now has a reputation for having a slapdash attitude toward food safety and sanitation that seems impossible to overcome. Does anybody here feel the same? People still eat at Jack in the Box. Boar’s Head products have been my deli meat of choice for years because it was the best stuff I had easy access to. The other week while at the grocery store I declined to purchase any out of concern for my own safety. I don’t think I’m put off Boar’s Head for the rest of my life though. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/24 "2024-09-14T01:05:14Z")
To me Boars Head was the best tasting brand for most deli meats. I’m sure I’ll buy it again. Coincidentally liverwurst is on of the products that I don’t like from them. On the very rare occasion that I have a hankering for liverwurst I always get Schickhaus ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/25 "2024-09-14T06:01:58Z")
They always told me you don’t want to see how laws and sausages are made. I know a little about what’s involved (sausages, not laws). There are sharp things and there are flat surfaces and raw meat encounters them both. It’s a messy and complicated process to completely clean all the equipment such that the next batch doesn’t get contaminated with anything evil that might have been in the first batch. One of the complications is the definition of “batch”. Economies of scale intersect with the necessity of moving raw meat quickly (you don’t want it hanging around in a holding pattern waiting, because bad things can happen there too, refrigeration or no). I’m glad for formidable regulations that specify that the animals have to have been healthy and regulating how often the equipment has to be cleaned and how long you can keep carcasses in the supply chain before processing. I won’t shy away from Boar’s Head unless I get the sense that they’re cutting corners and getting dinged by the USDA inspectors at a rate that Armour and Oscar Meyer etc etc are not. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/26 "2024-09-14T08:30:16Z")
Odwalla continued to be popular enough that they were eventually acquired by Coca-Cola, then later some IP firm. I used to buy (and really enjoy) Boar’s Head chicken and turkey, but I stopped buying these a few years ago due to incompetence at my local supermarket deli. Having discovered that vegan deli slices are just fine, I’m not likely to buy Boar’s Head again. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/27 "2024-09-14T15:05:09Z")
I was going to say this very thing- Blue Bell is doing fine, having undergone much the same issue that Boar’s Head is undergoing. That said, Blue Bell’s got a pretty loyal and rabid customer base in Texas, and maybe elsewhere. Blue Bell is _the_ ice cream to get in most of the state, and especially so if you’re buying more than a pint at a time. I don’t know if Boar’s Head has that kind of semi-fanatical customer base. Around here, it’s always been positioned as the “premium” grocery store deli meat supplier, and something that mid-range sandwich shops tend to use when they’re trying to upsell themselves. But nobody’s saying “It’s only Boar’s Head roast turkey for me, or I’m doing without.” They’ll just get whatever else the grocery store has, and probably won’t even shop at a different store specifically for Boar’s Head. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/28 "2024-09-14T15:15:13Z")
Their cold cuts were generally better than what’s typically available around here. I’m still buying their dill pickles. They were a premium brand with a corresponding price and I think that’s why they’ll suffer greatly, the combination of price sensitivity in this inflationary picture along with any hesitation about the safety of the product will hurt them badly. If they’re competitors aren’t out in force with major sales campaigns then they are fools. I will eventually but more Boar’s Head products again if there’s no more bad news. Now is probably the best time to buy Boar’s Head while they’re putting their maximum attention of food safety, but like so many others just thinking about getting sick from the food I eat makes me hesitate. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/29 "2024-09-14T15:19:46Z")
I’ve always bought Hillshire Farms lunch meat. Looking for something less processed I started buying Deitz and Watson products. Don’t think I’ll switch to boars head ntl. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/30 "2024-09-14T15:26:51Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I was going to say this very thing- Blue Bell is doing fine, having undergone much the same issue that Boar’s Head is undergoing. > > That said, Blue Bell’s got a pretty loyal and rabid customer base in Texas, Very true. As a Texan, I’m always amazed at the rabid loyalty some brands engender just by playing up their “Texasness.” Whataburger could probably reveal that their burger meat is a mix of racoon and sewer rat and their sales would only go up. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/31 "2024-09-14T15:28:59Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > They always told me you don’t want to see how laws and sausages are made. And you really don’t want to think about who’s making the laws about sausages. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/32 "2024-09-14T15:34:52Z")
This is the kind of thing I hear and I will forever more wonder WHAT went into the stuff? Floor sweepings? Eyeballs and hooves? Rancid fly-covered buckets of guts? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/33 "2024-09-14T15:38:08Z")
Boar’s Head pickles? I bought a jar of dill, they looked very pretty in a jar with a bit of real dill and diced carrot for looks. But the peel was SO tough you could hardly bite into it. I put some in the mini-chopper and it whizzed up the inside, left hard strips of green peel untouched ! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/34 "2024-09-14T15:39:13Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > Rancid fly-covered buckets of guts? - Ooh, you want it _fancy!_ ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/35 "2024-09-14T15:42:15Z")
Salami with lotsa peppercorns…wait a minute! those black specks aren’t peppercorns! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/36 "2024-09-14T15:48:10Z")
The whole dills have always been fine for me. The sliced spears have been soggy though. Not terribly bad, but like most jarred pickles once you open them the spears don’t maintain their consistency for long. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/37 "2024-09-14T17:01:52Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Whataburger could probably reveal that their burger meat is a mix of racoon and sewer rat and their sales would only go up. Sewers!? Texas don’t need none of that high-fallutin’ nanny-state razzle-dazzle ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/38 "2024-09-14T17:20:17Z")
I checked the deli counter at my supermarket yesterday. The boars head products have been completely removed. They used to be prominently displayed. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/39 "2024-09-14T20:36:43Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > …their burger meat is a mix of racoon and sewer rat… Mmmmm! Yummy, who wants burgers? I’ll avoid Boar’s Head. When food is your business, and cleanliness and sanitation aren’t at the top of your list, you can go out of business for all I care. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/40 "2024-09-14T20:44:35Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > > [@flurb](#): > > > > …their burger meat is a mix of racoon and sewer rat… > > Mmmmm! Yummy, who wants burgers? > I’ll avoid Boar’s Head. When food is your business, and cleanliness and sanitation aren’t at the top of your list, you can go out of business for all I care. - Their business in enriching the CEO, high level executives, Board of Directors and shareholders. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232.md?page=3)