Boar’s Head Co. has expanded its recall of deli meats to include an additional 7 million pounds of prepared products as the federal government continues to investigate an outbreak of deadly Listeria monocytogenes infections, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced late Tuesday.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of 100 tons of Boar’s Head products last week after potentially contaminated meat led to at least two deaths and 34 hospitalizations in 13 states.
The actions affect 71 products, including Virginia ham, beef salami and bologna sausage, produced under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brands at the company’s Jarratt, Virginia, plant between May 10 and July 29.
The problem came to light when Maryland health officials detected Listeria in liverwurst samples, and further testing revealed that the bacteria was the same strain that caused illness in humans reported between late May and July.
No new cases of Listeria food poisoning have been reported.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to immediately and voluntarily expand the recall to include all products produced at the Jarratt facility,” Boars Head said on its website.
The company has also halted production of prepared meals at the plant.
USDA officials said the meat was distributed to stores across the country as well as to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama.
On July 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified Boar’s Head that its liverwurst has been “linked to a nationwide outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections in deli meats,” the company posted on its website.
“Based on this new information, we have taken steps to ensure we are doing all we can to protect public health.”
Following the recall notice, Stop & Shop closed deli counters in all of its supermarkets, the Post reported.
Company officials said consumers who have the recalled products at home should not eat them and should either throw them away or return them to stores for a refund.
Health officials said the refrigerator should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to prevent contamination of other foods.
According to the CDC, an estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die from it.
Listeria infections usually cause fever, muscle aches, fatigue, and may also cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and seizures. Symptoms may appear soon after consuming contaminated food or up to 10 weeks later. This infection is especially dangerous for people over 65, those with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women.
