# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2024, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/121 "2024-10-01T13:49:18Z")
I bought a one pound tube of braunschweiger (which is liverwurst as far as I’m concerned) from Aldi three days ago and It’s just about gone. I sincerely hope it wasn’t on some cold-cut-shit-list. I prefer the little packets of Jones Dairy Farm liverwurst in slices, but for $2.19, Aldi’s is 👏 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/122 "2024-10-02T00:08:17Z")
Aldi’s makes same tasty braunschweiger. In the yellow sleeve. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/123 "2024-10-02T18:50:40Z")
Look, both the Pinto and the Corvair killed people and were dangerous mistakes. But people still buy Fords and Chevys, however. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/124 "2024-10-14T22:14:30Z")
A few days ago, I was at my nearby Safeway and saw that the deli there had switched to Boar’s Head for its meats and cheeses (it had previously been Dietz and Watson). I did not expect that to happen given all of Boar’s Head’s recent bad publicity. It also made me wonder how many people are even aware of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/125 "2024-10-14T22:28:58Z")
Incidentally, the New York Times ran an [article](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/business/boars-head-owners-listeria-outbreak.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SE4.HjCW.v15qMhWA4yRb&smid=url-share) (gift link) yesterday describing the very secretive family that owns Boars Head. The article begins with this anecdote to illustrate the extent of their secrecy. > In May 2022, the chief financial officer of Boar’s Head, the processed meat company, was asked a simple question under oath. > > “Who is the C.E.O. of Boar’s Head?” > > “I’m not sure,” he replied. > > “Who do you believe to be the C.E.O. of Boar’s Head?” the lawyer persisted. > > The executive, Steve Kourelakos, who had worked at the company for more than two decades and was being deposed in a lawsuit between owners, repeated his answer: “I’m not sure.” BTW, the article and the reader comments suggest that the “premium” branding is just a front and that in reality everything was done as cheaply as possible. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/126 "2024-10-14T22:43:54Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > A few days ago, I was at my nearby Safeway and saw that the deli there had switched to Boar’s Head for its meats and cheeses (it had previously been Dietz and Watson). I did not expect that to happen given all of Boar’s Head’s recent bad publicity. If that is a Safeway corporate-wide decision it was the work of a year or more to plan, sign up, and implement. By the time BH had the liverwurst scare it was too late for Safeway to back out. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/127 "2024-10-15T00:01:28Z")
The article I linked to said that the Boar’s Head agreement requires that the supermarkets not offer competitors like Dietz & Watson ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/128 "2024-10-15T02:24:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > “Who is the C.E.O. of Boar’s Head?” **Robert S.** **Martin** , CEO. Google, two seconds. > [@NDP](#): > > I did not expect that to happen given all of Boar’s Head’s recent bad publicity. I It was one meat- liverwurst- from one factory. Honestly, it was no big deal. This sort of stuff is very common. > **[10-million-pound meat recall affects hundreds of products at Walmart, Target,...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/10/14/ten-million-pound-meat-recall-walmart-target-trader-joes-product/75673235007/)** > > A recall of nearly 10 million pounds of meat issued last week by BrucePac has affected brands like Dole and stores like Kroger across the U.S. _10-million-pound meat recall affects hundreds of products at Walmart, Target, Publix and more_._.Routine testing found evidence of listeria monocytogenes on BrucePac ready-to-eat poultry, which can cause a listeriosis infection if consumed._ 30 brands of products are effected- does this mean no one should eat any of those anymore? If everyone decided to stop eating anything that was once recalled for a serious issue- you most likely couldnt eat anything at the grocery store. Vegetables are recalled for e-coli all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/129 "2024-10-15T02:28:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > “Who is the C.E.O. of Boar’s Head?” > > **Robert S.** **Martin** , CEO. > > Google, two seconds. Sure but you would expect that the identity of a corporation’s CEO is something that the _same_ corporation’s CFO would know _without_ needing to Google for the answer. I’ve heard that in some _rare_ cases, the CFO and CEO actually meet each other once a year or so. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/130 "2024-10-15T02:33:48Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Sure but you would expect that the identity of a corporation’s CEO is something that the _same_ corporation’s CFO would know _without_ needing to Google for the answer. Or he was just being evasive. You cant argue with “I am not sure”. Hard to call them a perjurer. Also “I cant remember” is a good one. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/131 "2024-10-15T20:43:27Z")
I’d totally forgotten until just now that when we moved into our condo over 40 years there was an independent butcher/sandwich shop a block away. They had _great_ sandwiches. And the meat was Boar’s Head. It didn’t last more than a few more years after we moved in. Did they start out as a small boutique-type meat company and devolved into this monstrous juggernaut? I don’t like that they insist that no other meat purveyors be used by any store they sell their products in. I can remember when our local Ralph’s switched to Boar’s Head, and the hard sell at the deli counter was extreme. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2024, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/132 "2024-10-15T23:59:17Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I don’t like that they insist that no other meat purveyors be used by any store they sell their products in. I can remember when our local Ralph’s switched to Boar’s Head, and the hard sell at the deli counter was extreme. They may insist on that but Ralphs sells cold cuts and cheeses by a dozen different companies, Oscar Meyer, etc and far more of either than Boars Head. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/133 "2024-10-16T00:03:04Z")
In my two Ralphs, any sliced to order deli meat is BH. There might be other packaged meats that I’m not interested in. Not a fan of Oscar Meyer. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/134 "2024-10-16T00:22:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@carrps](#): > > > > I don’t like that they insist that no other meat purveyors be used by any store they sell their products in. I can remember when our local Ralph’s switched to Boar’s Head, and the hard sell at the deli counter was extreme. > > They may insist on that but Ralphs sells cold cuts and cheeses by a dozen different companies, Oscar Meyer, etc and far more of either than Boars Head. The NYT article says, “If stores wanted to offer high-end cold cuts from competitors like Thumann’s or Dietz & Watson behind the deli counter, they could no longer carry Boar’s Head.” So stores _may_ still be able to sell middle market brands like Oscar Meyer. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/135 "2024-10-16T01:41:24Z")
I think the key difference is Oscar Meyer is prepacked 8 - 24oz packages of boloney or hotdogs or bacon or salami or whatever that’s not sold at the service deli counter. What Boar’s head cares about is that their stuff, and only their stuff, is sold by the locally-cut slice off the loaf at the service deli and that sandwiches and other similar made-to-order stuff assembled there may only be assembled from BH products. IOW, the grocer owns their pre-pack refrigerator cases filled with whatever from whoever, but BH controls their entire service deli. If you don’t live in a part of the US where an extensive service deli is _de riguer_ in a quality or even just mainstream grocery store you may have no idea what we’re even talking about. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/136 "2024-10-16T02:22:47Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Oscar Meyer is prepacked 8 - 24oz packages of boloney Hey, we all know that Oscar M **a** yer has a way with **B-O-L-O-G-N-A**. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xRKTXCRqRXQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Oscar Mayer My Bologna Has A First Name Song Classic TV Ad Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRKTXCRqRXQ) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/137 "2024-10-16T04:55:56Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > In my two Ralphs, any sliced to order deli meat is BH. There might be other packaged meats that I’m not interested in. Yes, the rest is prepackaged. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The NYT article says, “If stores wanted to offer high-end cold cuts from competitors like Thumann’s or Dietz & Watson behind the deli counter, they could no longer carry Boar’s Head.” Okay, that makes sense. Google says most consumers prefer Boars Hear to Dietz & Watson? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/138 "2024-10-16T09:58:17Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Hey, we all know that Oscar M **a** yer has a way with **B-O-L-O-G-N-A**. Funny, but I kept looking at that sentence and re-spelling baloney a bunch of different ways because something looked off but I couldn’t pinpoint it. I never picked up on the Meyer / Mayer goof. Which of course spell-check was fine with. Thanks for the call-out and with a great cite to boot . 🙂 I was aiming for “baloney”, not “bologna” on purpose. To emphasize the low-brow kid-centric nature of pre-pack cold cuts vs the snooty “custom sliced for discerning connoisseurs only” tone of BH’s (BS IMO) market positioning. I swear modern browser spellcheck is crowdsourcing their dictionary. IMO “baloney” is correct, but “boloney” is not. Spellcheck likes both equally. And no, “boloney” isn’t in my computer’s local / personal dictionary of learned words. Or at least not any one that’s accessible to me. Gah! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/139 "2024-10-17T22:58:55Z")
[M-W](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boloney) says it’s an alternate spelling to _baloney_ but limits its use to the ‘bunkum’ sense. In turn it says _baloney_ is the more common spelling for ‘bunkum’ but a less common spelling for _balogna_, the cold cut. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232/140 "2024-10-17T23:42:59Z")
I wanted pepperoni today, but not BH. There was one more expensive option…I decided I didn’t need pepperoni. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-anybody-want-to-buy-anything-from-boars-head-again/1007232.md?page=8)