Why You Probably Will Never Find Boar's Head Lunch Meat At Walmart

With the economy being what it is these days, many people are content to simply purchase whatever deli meat is cheapest, but let's be honest: The cheap stuff tastes like wet, chewy salt, no matter what flavor you get. But if you have an extra penny to spend on good food, Boar's Head is a brand that has been celebrated for years. Given that Walmart is the biggest grocery store chain in the United States (by a surprisingly wide margin), you'd think the two brands would've gotten together by now, but Walmart doesn't sell Boar's Head, and it probably never will.

The short and simple rationale for why this is comes down to a difference of opinion in terms of how these two businesses function. Walmart has done a pretty good job of improving its reputation in recent years, but the store is basically still known for offering the lowest prices around. This is, in part, because Walmart has a number of private brands it controls, but the fact that it's such a powerhouse in the grocery world also means it has leverage to coax down the price on name brand products. That's relevant because Boar's Head has firmly staked its flag on the hill of premium deli, a position which could be threatened if it started selling cheap.

For its own part, Boar's Head is similarly happy to use its considerable market power to push retailers around. The company won't sell its products unless it gets its own cozy deli case, for one. It also has a habit of demanding competitive products be removed from store shelves, lest the store lose its access.

Walmart and Boar's Head have undoubtedly attempted negotiations, though what exactly the issue was for either party hasn't exactly been made public, leaving us to surmise what's going on from the sidelines. The anti-competitive reputation Boar's Head has acquired doesn't really seem to be the main concern, since Walmart mostly sells brands like Oscar Meyer, Hillshire Farm, and Land O' Frost — none of which are likely to ruffle Boar's Head's feathers.

What's more likely is that Boar's Head's posturing as a premium brand is something it feels would be damaged by the very act of its stepping foot in Walmart. It probably helps that so many of Walmart's competitors are keen to give in to Boar's Head's demands, as they may have pressured Boar's Head not to sell to Walmart in return (this is speculative, mind you).

Unfortunately for Boar's Head, this gravy train of preferential treatment may soon be over. You may remember the Boar's Head listeria outbreak of late 2024, which ranked among the deadliest food recalls in American history. It turns out, criminal charges may very well be coming down the pipeline soon and the poor sanitation practices which led to that crisis are rumored to have continued in the meantime. If the public perception of Boar's Head falters in light of what that investigation reveals, it may very well wish it had cozied up to Walmart when it had a bit more negotiating power. The fact that Boar's Head has done nothing to improve Kroger's terrible deli section isn't helping its cause, either.