Boar's Head recalls 7 million pounds of meat for listeria risk
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Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc. is recalling approximately 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products for possible listeria contamination.
Why it matters: There's a multi-state outbreak of listeria infections linked to meats sliced at delis, according to the recall notice on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service website.
- 34 sick people in 13 states have been identified in the outbreak, which includes 33 hospitalizations and two deaths as of Tuesday, the recall notes.
Boar's Head recall list 2024
Driving the news: Boar's Head initially recalled 200,000 pounds of all liverwurst products and select deli meats produced at a Jarratt, Virginia establishment on Friday.
- The recall was expanded Tuesday to include 71 products totaling approximately 7 million pounds produced between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar's Head and Old Country brand names.
- The recalled items include meat intended for slicing at retail delis and some packaged meat and poultry products sold at stores, including beef frankfurters.
- Find the full product list of recall items here and see the labels here.
What is listeria?
Threat level: Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, per the recall notice.
- Listeria is especially harmful to people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's outbreak page.
- The CDC says it "always recommends people at higher risk for listeriosis avoid eating meats sliced at the deli or heat them to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot before eating."
Listeria symptoms
Short-term symptoms for healthy individuals may include high fever, severe headache, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, per the FDA.
- Listeria can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
- For people who are 65 years or older or who have a weakened immune system, Listeria often results in hospitalization and sometimes death, the CDC said.
- Symptoms usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after, per the CDC.
Boar's Head recall states
By the numbers: New York has the most cases linked to the listeria outbreak with 12 cases and Maryland has six people sick, according to the CDC's outbreak map.
- Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey and Virginia each had two people sick.
- Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all reported one person sick, the CDC map shows.
Boar's Head recall affects Publix, Kroger, more stores
Some retailers have posted recall notices related to the Boar's Head recall on their websites that note the products sold in their stores.
- Kroger, Publix, Harris Teeter, Stop & Shop and Big Y are among the stores with notices on their websites.
Between the lines: Some grocery stores in Massachusetts temporarily closed their deli departments for cleaning Friday after the initial Boar's Head recall was announced, CBS News reported.
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Editor's note: This story was updated with additional information on stores affected by the recall.
