Here is your Forbes Daily Briefing for Sunday, September 29th.

Today on Forbes, Inside the Chaos at Boers

When a recall rocks the food industry as much as the deadly Listeria outbreak linked to a Borshead factory in Jarrett, Virginia has,

the CEO or owners typically get in front of the news and try to instill a sense of calm.

But the families behind the 119 year old Deli Meet purveyor have been oddly silent.

The lack of response underscores how secretive Borshead has become.

A letter about the recall of more than 7 million pounds of ready to eat meat products,

posted on the company website is signed simply from quote

Borshead. A lone company spokesperson has been cited in media reports and the

company refuses to even confirm who the current CEO or chairman is.

It's likely Robert S Martin, one of the primary owners.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 10 people have died and nearly 60 have been

hospitalized across some 19 states. Now in the aftermath of the deadly outbreak

the company that took a century to become the biggest deli meat brand in America

is facing an existential threat with multiple civil lawsuits and talks of a

congressional hearing as well as a Department of Justice investigation

that could come with criminal charges.

But the warring families who founded Borshead

seemed more concerned about a series of petty legal battles

over the billion dollar brand.

The brunkhorsts and the Bischofs, the two feuding families who own Borshead and have been fighting

over the ownership since 2021, should be at the center of the recall controversy.

...