OAN Staff James Meyers
9:57 AM – Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Deli meat maker Boar’s Head has expanded its recall of their deli meats to include a massive seven million pounds of deli and poultry items in an alarming multistate outbreak of listeria infections.
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As of Tuesday, 34 people have gotten sick across 13 states in the outbreak, which includes 33 hospitalizations and two deaths. The fatalities included one person in Illinois and one in New Jersey.
The latest expansion comes after the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recalled 100 tons of their products due to the horrific outbreak.
Additionally, the latest expanded recall includes 71 products made between May 10th and July 29th under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names, which includes bologna, beef salami and Virginia ham, which was made at the company’s plant in Jarratt, Virginia.
The problem arose after a discovery of a liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland for listeria. More testing showed that the type of bacteria was the same strain causing illnesses in people, which were reported between late May and July.
Meanwhile, there have not been any additional reported incidents of listeria-related food poisoning.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to immediately and voluntarily expand our recall to include all items produced at the Jarratt facility,” Boar’s Head said on its website.
Furthermore, the deli meats company halted production of ready-to-eat foods at the plant.
According to Agriculture Department officials, the meat was distributed not just across the U.S., but to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama.
On July 29th, the USDA informed Boar’s Head that its liverwurst has been “linked to the national deli meat listeria outbreak,” the company wrote on its website.
“Based on this new information, we took steps to ensure we are doing everything possible to protect public health.”
Company officials stated that consumers who have purchased recalled products should not eat them and either throw them away or return them to stores for a refund.
An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The health and well-being of our consumers are paramount. Boar’s Head has always been, and remains, committed to the quality and safety of our products. You have our commitment that we are dedicated to all Boar’s Head products consistently meeting the high quality and safety standards you deserve and expect,” the company said in a statement.
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