Boar’s Head, a popular deli meats brand, is recalling an additional seven million pounds of products due to a listeria outbreak, the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) said Tuesday.
The recall expanded Tuesday after an initial recall, issued July 26, of a little over 200,000 pounds of meat, according to the USDA. Officials discovered the outbreak after a package of liverwurst was found to be contaminated with Listeria. The updated recall includes “all items produced at the Jarratt facility,” Boar’s Head said Monday night.
The company’s ready-to-eat liverwurst products produced between June 11 and July 17 are being recalled, in addition to products with sell-by dates from July 25 to August 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Five-pound loaves in plastic packing are also among the liverwurst recalls. (RELATED: Hershey’s, Friendly’s Among Brands Named In Massive Ice Cream Recall Due To Possible Listeria Outbreak).
Other meats from the company, including Bologna, Beef Salami, Garlic Bologna, Beef Bologna, Virginia Ham Old Fashioned Ham, Italian Cappy Style Ham, Extra Hot Italian Cappy Style Ham and Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat & Eat, are being recalled. These product labels include “EST. 12612” inside the USDA mark, with sell-by dates of either August 10 or August 15, the CDC said.
Listeria can easily spread between surfaces, hands, foods and deli equipment, the CDC said. The CDC advises businesses to “thoroughly clean and sanitize all food and non-food surfaces,” and throw away opened cheeses and meats in the deli.
Since the investigation began, 34 illnesses and two deaths have been reported, the CDC said.
The illnesses have been reported across 13 states with the majority being in New York. Other states include Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Any products under the recall can be returned to the store in which they were purchased for a full refund, Boar’s Head said.
“On behalf of all of us at Boar’s Head Brand, we want to let our customers and consumers know that we deeply regret that our liverwurst products were found to be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes,” the company stated. “No words can fully express our sympathies and the sincere and deep hurt we feel for the families that have suffered losses and others who endured illness.”