CDC Urges Americans Against Eating Recalled Deli Meat Amid Listeria Fears

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is doubling down on its efforts to remind Americans not to eat the Boar’s Head recalled daily meat. The meat is reportedly continuing to infect people with listeria in what is becoming America’s largest listeria outbreak since 2011.

In July, Boar’s Head recalled at least 7.2 million pounds of deli meat products branded as “ready-to-eat” after they were found contaminated with listeria. Even though the product is not on the market anymore, the CDC has reported that over a dozen more people have been infected by listeria recently.

The continuous emergence of listeria cases is a big concern for the CDC, which fears that many people unaware of the recent recalls may continue to consume the products already available in their freezers.

According to the CDC, Americans should check their fridges for Boar’s Head products with USDA inspection labels of “EST. 12612” or “P-12612.”

Since the listeria outbreak, nine people have died, while 57 others have had to be hospitalized, making it the largest outbreak of listeria in more than a decade. The CDC believes that the actual number of cases will probably be higher than the reported numbers as many people only develop mild symptoms and never get tested for listeria. Similarly, some people may take time to show symptoms, which means that the numbers can get higher in the upcoming days.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports suggest that insects and molds were present in the Boar’s Head, Virginia plant, contributing to the harmful effects of these products and leading to the recall.

Reportedly, these insects and molds were present, both dead and alive, and were spotted in different locations, such as ceilings, doors, and near hand-washing facilities.

Some reports have also indicated that the processing plant was highly compromised, with blood scattered on the floors and coolers having a rancid smell.

Meanwhile, Boar’s Head stated that they “regret” the families suffering from life-threatening issues and feel for the affected people.

The company also noted that it recalled the liverwurst first after learning about the health hazards and then, out of caution, every product manufactured in the Virginia facility.

Boar’s Head has insisted that all its products currently on the market are safe and were not covered under the July recall.

Now, the plant has ceased its operations temporarily to find out the actual cause of insect and mold invasion of the facility and is willing to go the extra mile to ensure the customers’ safety in the future, Boar’s Head statement added.

The USDA has already stopped the company’s Virginia plant from production, and it will only be able to resume operations after proving its capability of being a safe facility.