Deli Meat Recall Widens to Include 71 ProductsDeli Meat Recall Widens to Include 71 Products

The US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has expanded an earlier recall on Boar's Head ready-to-eat meat, deli meat, and poultry products.

The recalled products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Boar's Head Provisions Co. out of Jarratt, VA, is recalling approximately 7 million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

The Dept. of Health, in collaboration with the Baltimore City Health Department, collected an unopened liverwurst product from a retail store for testing as part of an outbreak investigation of L. monocytogenes infections. Further testing determined the product sample tested positive for the outbreak strain. 

This expansion includes 71 items produced between May 10, 2024, and July 29, 2024, under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names. These items include meat intended for slicing at retail delis as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold at retail locations. These products have “sell by” dates ranging from 29-JUL-2024 through 17-OCT-24. 

The products subject to recall were distributed to retail locations nationwide and some were exported to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama. 

The ready-to-eat liverwurst products were produced between June 11, 2024, and July 17, 2024, and have a 44-day shelf life. The following products are subject to recall:       

The other ready-to-eat deli meat products were produced on June 27, 2024. The following deli meat products are subject to recall:

The complete list of products can be found at FSIS Boar's Head/Old Country recall here.

FSIS is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health partners to investigate the multistate outbreak of Listeria infections linked to meats sliced at delis. As of July 30, 2024, 34 sick people have been identified in 13 states, including 33 hospitalizations and two deaths. Samples were collected from sick individuals from May 29, 2024, to July 12, 2024. The investigation is ongoing, and FSIS continues to work with the CDC and state partners.

The agency recommends retail delis clean and sanitize all food and non-food surfaces and discard any open meats & cheeses in the deli. Retailers can refer to FSIS’ guideline, Best Practices Guidance for Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens, for steps to prevent certain ready-to-eat foods that are prepared or sliced in retail delis and consumed in the home, such as deli meats and deli salads, from becoming contaminated with Listeria.