RHODE ISLAND — Boar’s Head is recalling several deli meats sold in Rhode Island for possible listeria contamination, the RI Department of Health said Friday.
According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, the contamination could be linked to a multi-state outbreak that left two people dead and sickened nearly three dozen others.
In a notice released by the USDA, Boar’s Head Provisions Co. recalled all liverwurst products and several types of deli meats after a sample tested positive for L. monocytogenes, a bacteria that causes listeriosis.
The recall includes 207,528 pounds of products that were shipped to retail locations nationwide, the notice said.
See the full list of recalled products.
The recall comes just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that several people in multiple states had been sickened after eating meats sliced at deli counters.
As of July 25, 34 people had been sickened in 13 states, including 33 hospitalizations and two deaths, FSIS officials said. Samples were collected from sick patients between May 29 and July 12.
Eating food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems. People outside these risk groups are less affected.
Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, and are sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
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