Popular meat company Boar’s Head is recalling another 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat products made at a plant in Virginia. an investigation The deadly outbreak of listeria food poisoning continues, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said Tuesday.
The new recall includes 71 products made between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. It follows an earlier recall of more than 200,000 pounds of sliced deli meats, poultry and meat. The new products include meat intended for cutting in delis, as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold in stores.
This includes liverwurst, ham, beef salami, bologna and other products made at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant.
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The recalls are related to an ongoing outbreak of listeria poisoning that has killed two people and sickened nearly three dozen in 13 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost all sick people have been hospitalized. Diseases were reported between late May and mid-July.
The problem was discovered when a liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. Further research revealed that the type of bacteria was the same one that caused disease in humans.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to immediately and voluntarily extend our recall to all items produced at the Jarratt factory,” the company said on its website. The production of ready-made food at the factory has also been stopped.
The meat was distributed to stores across the country, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama, Department of Agriculture officials said.
Consumers who have the recalled products in their homes should not eat them and should throw them away or return them to the store for a refund, company officials said. Health officials said refrigerators should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to avoid contaminating other foods.
According to the CDC, an estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die.
Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and fatigue and can cause a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can occur quickly or up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. The infections are especially dangerous for people over 65 years of age, people with weakened immune systems and during pregnancy.