One Tennessean died from the effects of a Listeria outbreak linked to the recalled 7.2 million pounds of Boar’s Head deli meats, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this week.
Since July 26, Boar’s Head has recalled 71 of its ready-to-eat meat and poultry products with “sell by” dates ranging from July 29 through October 17.
The recall came after a Boar’s Head liverwurst sample collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes.
Additional testing led to the larger recall of Boar’s Head products.
On Wednesday, the CDC announced that 18 states reported Listeria cases linked to Boar’s Head products.
In total, there have been 57 hospitalizations and nine deaths across the nation as a result of the outbreak.
In addition to the one death in Tennessee, there has been one reported death in Illinois, one from New Jersey, one from Virginia, one from Florida, one from New Mexico, one from New York, and two from South Carolina.
According to the CDC, Listeria can cause severe illness when the bacteria spreads beyond the gut to other parts of the body.
“Symptoms of severe illness usually start 1 to 4 weeks after eating contaminated food with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days after,” the CDC explains on its website.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urges consumers who may have purchased any Boar’s Head products on the current recall list to take precautionary steps to avoid illness.
“[U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service] is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators and in retail deli cases,” the USDA said in a press release.
“Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and retailers are urged not to sell these products with the referenced sell by dates. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Consumers who have purchased these products are also urged to clean refrigerators thoroughly to prevent the risk of cross-contamination,” the USDA added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Boar’s Head Ham” by Boar’s Head.
