Boar's Head deli meat recall expands amid listeria outbreak, hospitalizations in NY and NJ
CLIFTON, New Jersey (WABC) -- There is a growing crisis for deli meat lovers in the Tri-State area, especially customers of Boar's Head products.
The company is recalling an additional seven million pounds of deli meat following a deadly outbreak of listeria food poisoning.
So far, twelve people have been hospitalized in New York and two in New Jersey.
The new recall includes 71 products under the Boar's Head and Old Country brands.
"I saw it a week or two ago in the news and I thought it was all done," shopper Paul Sullivan told Eyewitness News.
The federal government is investigating the latest outbreak, which follows an earlier recall of more than 200,000 pounds of sliced deli poultry and meat.
The recall includes liverwurst, ham, salami, bologna, and other products made at the company's plant in Jarratt, Virginia.
The Stop and Shop grocery chain closed all of its in-store delis on Tuesday for a deep clean.
The company issued a statement, saying:
Stop & Shop removed all impacted Boar's Head products from sale. We also discarded all other open deli meats and cheeses that could have come into contact with the recalled items.
The recalls are tied 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.
Nearly all of those who fell ill have been hospitalized. Illnesses were reported between late May and mid-July.
The meat was distributed to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama, Agriculture Department officials said.
Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and tiredness and may cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can occur quickly or to up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. The infections are especially dangerous for people older than 65, those with weakened immune systems and during pregnancy.
An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the CDC.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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