Boar’s Head expands recall to include 7 million additional pounds of deli meats linked to listeria outbreak
Popular deli meat company Boar’s Head is recalling an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat products made at a Virginia plant. investigation The deadly listeria food poisoning outbreak continues, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said Tuesday.
THE new reminder The recall involves 71 products manufactured between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brands. It follows an earlier recall of more than 200,000 pounds of sliced poultry and deli meats. The new items include meat intended for slicing in delis as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold in stores.
These include liverwurst, ham, beef salami, mortadella and other products made at the company’s plant in Jarratt, Virginia.
The recalls are linked to an outbreak of listeriosis poisoning that has killed two people and sickened nearly three dozen people in 13 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly all of those affected have been hospitalized. The illnesses were reported between late May and mid-July.
The problem was discovered when a sample of liverwurst taken by Maryland health officials tested positive for listeria. Further testing showed that the type of bacteria was the same strain that causes illness in humans.
“As a precautionary measure, we have decided to immediately and voluntarily expand our recall to all items manufactured at the Jarratt plant,” the company said on its website. It has also halted production of ready-to-eat foods at the plant.
The meat was distributed to stores across the country, as well as in the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama, Agriculture Department officials said.
Consumers who have the recalled products in their homes should not consume them and should throw them out or return them to the store for a refund, company officials said. Health officials said refrigerators should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to prevent contamination of other foods.
According to the CDC, about 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die from it.
Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches, and fatigue and can cause neck stiffness, confusion, loss of balance, and seizures. Symptoms can appear quickly or up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. Infections are especially dangerous for people over 65, those with weakened immune systems, and during pregnancy.
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