Boar’s Head Deli Meat Listeria Outbreak Slowing Down After 10 Deaths: CDC

Federal health officials indicate that they will not be updating the public as often about developments in an ongoing listeria outbreak caused by contaminated Boar’s Head deli meats, but they will continue to collect information, since products are likely still in some consumer’s refrigerators and infections could take up to 10 weeks to develop.

Earlier this year, Boar’s Head issued a recall after discovering that 71 of its products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which can cause severe and potentially life-threatening food poisoning.

According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) update published on September 25, at least 59 people have now been hospitalized as part of the Boar’s Head deli meat listeria outbreak, including at least 10 deaths, making it the deadliest outbreak involving the illness since 2011, when 11 people died from contaminated cantaloupe.

Symptoms of listeria food poisoning typically involve temporary headaches, fevers, vomiting and diarrhea. However, among high-risk groups, such as young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, the bacteria may result in severe illness that requires in-patient hospital treatments.

Pregnant women also face a serious risk from listeriosis, since it can cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as other complications that impact the long-term health of unborn children and their mothers.

Despite the severity of the Boar’s Head listeria outbreak, federal regulators will no longer be updating the public about it as often, since it now appears the number of illnesses are slowing down, according to a CDC press release.

However, health officials warn that it is not likely all illnesses have been accounted for yet, given the shelf life for the deli meats and the long incubation period before listeria may cause symptoms.

Boar’s Head Recalls Over 7 Million Pounds of Deli Meat

Boar’s Head initiated its recall of tainted deli meats on July 26, after the Maryland Department of Health discovered Listeria monocytogenes in an unopened sample of the company’s liverwurst.

It was unknown at the time whether that sample was related to an already-existing listeria outbreak. However, the recall was expanded a few days later, to include seven million pounds of ready-to-eat deli meats, and federal regulators determined that there was a connection between the tainted meats and the outbreak.

Eventually, the listeria contamination was traced back to a Boar’s Head packaging plant in Jarratt, Virginia, which had received multiple citations for various violations, including insect infestations, liquid dripping from the ceilings and other unclean practices. That facility is now permanently closed and the company has discontinued its liverwurst products, which were the initial source of the outbreak.

The injuries caused by the outbreak have already resulted in a number of Boar’s Head listeria outbreak lawsuits, including several wrongful death lawsuits filed on behalf of individuals who have died, as well as a class action lawsuit on behalf of all consumers exposed to the tainted deli meats.

What To Do With Food Contaminated by Listeria

While it usually only takes one to four weeks for listeria symptoms to show after exposure, health officials warn that in some cases infections may surface up to 10 weeks later.

Since the tainted Boar’s Head products have shelf lives of up to 44 days, the CDC fears they may still be in some people’s refrigerators, or potentially in some businesses’ possession. Therefore, the agency is recommending that all surfaces or containers that may have touched sliced deli meats are cleaned and sanitized. In addition, individuals at high risk for getting sick from listeria should avoid eating meats sliced at deli counters, unless heated until steaming hot before serving.

The recalled products were sold under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand names, with “sell by” dates ranging from July 29, 2024 through October 17, 2024. Each of the  meats have “EST. 12612” or “P-12612” inside the USDA inspection mark on the labels.