The Boar’s Head company is expanding a recall of deli meats to include 7 million additional pounds of product that may contain listeria following a deadly outbreak, a government agency said late Tuesday.
A recall of 100,000 tons of Boar’s Head products was issued last by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) after at least two people died and 34 others were hospitalized in 13 states from potentially tainted meat, including liverwurst.
The latest action covers 71 products made between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names, including Virginia Ham, beef salami and bologna and meats that were prepared to be sliced.
Illnesses were reported between late May and July.
In a statement on its website on July 30, Boar’s Head said “On Friday, July 25, we initiated an immediate and voluntary recall of our Strassburger Brand Liverwurst because it had the potential to be adulturated with Listeria. At that time, we also made the decision to voluntarily recall nine additional products that were produced at our Jarrate, Virginia facility on the same production line and on the same day as the liverwurst product.”
On July 29 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.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health departments are working together, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement.
The FSIS is concerned, however, that consumers have the recalled products in their refrigerators and in retail deli cases. It is advising consumers that may have these products to clean their refrigerators “thoroughly to prevent the risk of cross-contamination.”
