BOAR’S Head is the latest company to recall liver sausages and other deli meat products amid fears they may be contaminated with listeria.
The bacteria can cause serious infections and, in some cases, death, leaving the deli meat supplier with no choice but to recall 200,000 pounds of meat — and issue a warning to recent customers.
4
On July 26, the F.D.A. released a statement notifying consumers that Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. would be recalling “all liverwurst products produced by the establishment that are currently commercially available.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that recalled liverwurst and deli meat products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The USDA found that a sample of Boar’s Head liverwurst tested positive for listeria in Maryland.
The Maryland Department of Health was investigating several different brands when it discovered the sample in an unopened package of liver sausage.
Read more about supermarket recalls
Boar’s Head supplies meats, cheeses, condiments, soups and other products to retailers nationwide.
However, they are only recalling ready-to-eat liver sausages produced between June 11 and July 17, 2024.
This includes three-pound loaves in plastic wrappers or multi-weight packages sliced at retail delis containing Boar’s Head Strassburger brand liverwurst.
The product, manufactured in Virginia, was shipped to retailers with an expiration date ranging from July 25 to August 30, 2024.
Several other ready-to-eat deli meat products produced on June 27 are also being recalled, including:
- Boar’s Head Virginia Ham Old Ham (nine and a half, for pounds and a half)
- Cappy Style Italian Boar’s Head Ham (four pounds)
- Cappy Style Extra Hot Italian Ham with Boar’s Head (six pounds)
- Bologna Boar’s Head (four pounds)
- Beef salami with boar’s head (one and a half kilos)
- Boar’s Head Steakhouse Baked Bacon Heat & Eat (five and a half pounds)
- Boar’s Head Garlic Bologna (three pounds)
- Boar’s head meat bologna (three pounds)
All items listed above have an expiration date of August 10th, except Boar’s Head Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat & Eat, which has an expiration date of August 15th on the product packaging.
All recalled items were also shipped and sold to retailers as complete products, but retailers may have chosen to sell the entire product to customers or multiple sliced weight packages at deli counters at their discretion.
SERIOUS SLICES
Listeriosis mainly affects pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, and people aged 65 and over.
What is listeria?
LISTERIA is a type of bacteria that can contaminate many foods.
It can cause listeriosis – a rare infection caused by eating affected foods.
This usually goes away on its own, but it can make some people seriously ill.
Symptoms include high temperature, pain, chills, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.
If you’re pregnant, you may also have an upset stomach or notice that your baby moves less than usual, and babies with listeriosis may be irritable and feed less than usual.
In rare cases, the infection can result in meningitis – inflammation of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
This kills up to half of all people affected if left untreated, says Doctors Without Borders.
Listeriosis is more serious in older people, anyone who is pregnant, newborns, people with weakened immune systems (such as people with cancer, diabetes, liver or kidney disease), and people on treatment that weakens the immune system (such as chemotherapy or steroids). .
You can reduce your risk by:
- Keep refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods cold (set the refrigerator to less than 5ºC)
- Eat ready-to-eat foods within four hours of removing them from the refrigerator
- Eating, cooking or freezing food according to its expiration date
- Follow storage instructions on food labels and use opened food within two days (unless otherwise specified)
- Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate
- Following the cooking instructions on the package
- Cooking and reheating foods until they are piping hot
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water
Foods most likely to cause listeriosis include:
- Cold, cooked, sliced and cured meats
- Smoked and cured fish, including sushi
- Cooked seafood
- Mold-ripened soft cheeses (such as camembert and brie) and blue cheeses
- Pate
- Pre-prepared sandwiches and salads
- Pre-cut fruit
- Unpasteurized milk
- Dairy products made from unpasteurized milk
Although uncommon, isolated listeriosis disease kills one in five patients worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Source: National Health Service
The bacteria can cause mild to severe infections, including fever, nausea, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
Severe symptoms can include headaches, confusion, loss of balance and seizures.
In the most extreme cases, listeria can even cause death.
Listeria symptoms usually begin two weeks after eating contaminated food.
However, some individuals report experiencing symptoms as early as the same day they ate a contaminated food or up to 10 weeks after consuming the bacteria.
Listeria is also very easy to spread and can quickly contaminate deli equipment, kitchen surfaces, hands and food.
Refrigerating or freezing contaminated products also does not kill bacteria.
Reheating contaminated food, however, can kill the bacteria, but deli meats must reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
The FDA also recommends throwing away all Boar’s Head meat products purchased in recent weeks and deep cleaning refrigerators or other surfaces that may have come into contact with the contaminated meats.
So far, two people have died from the latest outbreak, while 34 people have been hospitalized.
This is not the first listeria outbreak in the US, nor will it be the last.
The last major outbreak occurred in February, when queso fresco and Cotija cheese sold in the U.S. were recalled nationwide.
An estimated 1,600 people contract listeria food poisoning every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with about 260 deaths attributed to the bacteria annually.
4
4
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
