Multiple Boar’s Head deli meats were recalled after Listeria was detected in an unopened package of liverwurst in an unidentified store in Maryland, health officials announced Friday.
Further testing was underway to see if it is the same Listeria strain as the one in a multi-state outbreak that has left two people dead, including one person in New Jersey, and sickened 32 others as of Thursday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The company recalled 207,528 pounds of liverwurst and other sliced deli meats and cheeses, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture released Friday.
The recalled liverwurst products were produced between June 11, 2024, and July 17, 2024, and have a shelf life of 44 days. They were distributed nationwide to retail deli shops.
Other recalled sliced deli meats were produced on June 27, 2024, and were also distributed nationwide.
The USDA is urging consumers who have purchased these products to not consume them and immediately throw them out or return them to their place of purchase.
Retailers have also been advised by the agency not to sell the products.
Products sold at the deli, especially those sliced or prepared at the deli, can be contaminated with Listeria, which spreads easily among deli equipment, surfaces, hands, and food. Refrigeration does not kill Listeria, but reheating to a high enough temperature before eating will kill any germs that may be on these meats.
Listeria, a bacteria, can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems, according to the FDA.
Healthy people may only suffer short-term symptoms, but a Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women, the agency said.
Symptoms can include fever, flu-like symptoms, confusion, seizures, loss of balance and gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea and vomiting. Symptoms usually start within two weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria, but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.
The CDC advised people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system to contact their healthcare provider if they have any Listeria symptoms.
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