Boar’s Head deli meats fingered in deadly US Listeria outbreak

A strain of Listeria monocytogenes found in a sample of Boar’s Head liverwurst is a genetic match for the outbreak strain responsible for two deaths, 33 hospitalizations, and 34 illnesses in 13 states.

The pathogen was recovered from an unopened package of liverwurst collected and analyzed by the Maryland Department of Health as part of the outbreak investigation.

Outbreak cases have been reported in Georgia (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Maryland (6), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (1), Missouri (2), New Jersey (2), New York (12), North Carolina (1), Pennsylvania (1), Virginia (2), and Wisconsin (1).

Illinois and New Jersey have each reported one fatality.

Outbreak victims range in age from 32 to 94 years, with a median age of 74 years.

People 65 years of age or older are considered to be especially susceptible to more severe illness, as are pregnant women and individuals who have a weakened immune system.

Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. has announced an expansion of its earlier recall in response to the lab finding. The company is recalling approximately 7 million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

This expansion includes 71 products produced between May 10, 2024, and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. These items include meat intended for slicing at retail delis as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold at retail locations. These products have “sell by” dates ranging from 29-JUL-2024 through 17-OCT-24.

The recalled products were distributed to retail locations across the United States, and some were exported to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama. 

Advice from the CDC

If you are at high risk

Listeria is especially harmful if you are pregnant, are aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system due to certain medical conditions or treatments. Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.

If you are pregnant, are aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system:

• Do not eat recalled deli meats. Throw them away or contact stores about returns.
• In addition, do not eat any other deli meats you get sliced at deli counters, unless it is reheated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot. Let it cool before you eat it.
  • Listeria can grow on foods kept in the refrigerator, but it is easily killed by heating food to a high enough temperature.
• Clean your refrigerator, containers and surfaces that may have touched sliced deli meats.
  • This is especially important if you purchased any of the recalled deli products.
• Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms:
  • People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. They may also get a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.
  • Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. However, Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.

What everyone should do

For people who are generally healthy and not at higher risk of serious infection:

• Do not eat recalled meats. Throw them away or contact stores about returns.
• Check your refrigerator for any recalled deli meats and throw them away or return them to the store. Listeriacan grow on foods kept in the refrigerator.
• Clean your refrigerator, containers and surfaces that may have touched recalled meats.

What businesses should do

• For delis that received recalled meats:
  • Thoroughly clean and sanitize all food and non-food surfaces.
  • Throw away any open meats and cheeses in the deli.
  • USDA-FSIS is advising delis to not use any opened deli products because recalled products can cross-contaminate other deli meats and cheeses.
• Always follow USDA-FSIS best practices for controlling Listeria contamination in deli areas.

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