TPopular deli meat company Boar’s Head is recalling an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat products made at a Virginia plant as it continues its investigation into a deadly outbreak of listeria food poisoning, Department of Agriculture officials said. of the US on Tuesday.
O new recall includes 71 products manufactured between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brands. This follows a previous recall of more than 200,000 pounds of sliced meat and poultry. The new items include meat intended for slicing in delis, as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold in stores.
They include liverwurst, ham, beef salami, bologna and other products made at the company’s plant in Jarratt, Virginia.
The recalls are linked to an ongoing outbreak of listeria poisoning that has killed two people and sickened nearly three dozen in 13 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost everyone who fell ill was hospitalized. The illnesses were reported between late May and mid-July.
The problem was discovered when a liver sausage sample collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. Further tests showed that the type of bacteria was the same strain that caused illness in people.
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“Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to immediately and voluntarily expand our recall to include all items produced at the Jarratt facility,” the company said on its website. It also halted the production of ready-to-eat foods at the factory.
The meat was distributed to stores across the country, as well as to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama, Department of Agriculture officials said.
Consumers who have the recalled products at home should not eat them and should discard them or return them to stores for a refund, company officials said. Health officials said refrigerators must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized to prevent contamination of other foods.
An estimated 1,600 people contract listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the CDC.
Listeria infections often cause fever, muscle aches and tiredness and can cause a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and seizures. Symptoms can occur quickly or up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. Infections are especially dangerous for people over 65, with weakened immune systems and during pregnancy.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
