More than 7 million pounds of Boar’s Head deli meats have been recalled due to a deadly food poisoning outbreak caused by the bacteria listeria. The outbreak, which began in May, has led to two deaths and nearly three dozen hospitalizations in 13 states. Listeria is a resilient bacteria that can survive and grow even in refrigerated environments. The bacteria can be found in soil, water, decaying vegetation, and carried by animals, and can contaminate food during harvesting, processing, transportation, and storage.
The outbreak was linked to deli meats sliced at grocery store deli counters, with listeria being detected in an unopened loaf of Boar’s Head liverwurst at a Maryland store. Symptoms of listeria poisoning include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Most vulnerable are the very young, individuals over 65, those with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women.
While cooking can kill listeria, most deli meats are consumed cold, so it is important to clean and sanitize surfaces that may have come into contact with the recalled products. Consumers should not eat the recalled deli meats and should either discard them or return them to the store for a refund. The recalled products include liverwurst, ham, beef salami, bologna, and other items made at Boar’s Head’s Jarratt, Virginia plant, distributed nationwide and internationally.
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