A recall of Boar’s Head products has expanded to include a staggering 7 million additional pounds of deli and poultry items in a deadly multi-state outbreak of listeria infections.
As of Tuesday, 34 people have fallen ill across 13 states during the outbreak — including 33 hospitalizations and two deaths. The fatal victims were a patient in Illinois and another in New Jersey.
Last week, the deli meat company recalled more than 207,000 pounds of deli meats, including liver sausage and ham products, because they may contain the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
Boar’s Head has now expanded that recall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced in a Press release Tuesday.
The expansion includes 71 products – including meat intended for deli cutting and some packaged meat and poultry products – produced between May 10, 2024 and July 29, 2024 under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brands.
The products have expiration dates ranging from July 29th to October 17th of this year (see the labels of the recalled products here) and were distributed to retail stores throughout the country, and some to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama.
Hog’s Head said in one declaration on its website that initiated the recall after a liver sausage sample collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for listeria.
The Maryland Heath Department and Baltimore City Health Department collected an unopened liverwurst product from a retail store for additional testing that determined the product sample “tested positive for the outbreak strain,” said the USDA press release.
Boar’s Head said the first voluntary recall was for its Strassburger Liverwurst brand and nine other products produced on the same production line at its Jarratt, Virginia facility.
On Monday, the company said it learned from the USDA “that our Strassburger Brand Liverwurst has been linked to the nationwide outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes” — and as a result, the recall has been expanded to include all items produced at the Jarratt facility.
“We have also decided to cease prepared food operations at this facility until further notice. As a company that prioritizes safety and quality, we believe it is the right thing to do,” the company said.
“There are no words that can fully express our condolences and the sincere and deep pain we feel for the families who have suffered loss and for others who have suffered illness,” the statement added.
People who purchased the recalled products must throw them away or return them to the storeand also clean your refrigerators as bacteria can grow in cold temperatures and spread to other foods.
An investigation is underway by FSIS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state public health partners.
Listeria infection is a foodborne bacterial illness most commonly caused by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized dairy products, according to the Mayo clinic. And the third leading cause of death from food poisoning In the USA
Symptoms usually appear two weeks after eating contaminated food and include fever, muscle aches, tiredness, stiff neck and confusion. In severe cases, the bacteria can cause blood infection or meningitis. The infection is dangerous for the elderly, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.
The CDC estimates that about 1,600 people contract listeriosis each year and about 260 die. Most cases are not linked to outbreaks, but there are usually a few outbreaks in a given year.
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