Boar's Head deli meats recalled after listeria outbreak, Mass. stores impacted

U.S. health officials Friday announced a recall of some Boar’s Head liverwurst and deli meats as they investigate a listeria outbreak that has sickened nearly three dozen people -- including two in Massachusetts -- and caused two deaths.

Stop & Shop said in a statement Friday that some of its Massachusetts stores have been impacted. Delis at area stores were temporarily shut down while the company worked through the situation, but they have since reopened.

"Stop & Shop is alerting shoppers that Boar’s Head has recalled select deli meat products due to the potential presence of Listeria. Stop & Shop has removed all impacted products from sale both in stores and online. In an abundance of caution, because this product is sliced in stores, Stop & Shop has also discarded all other open deli meats and cheeses that could have been sliced or prepared in the same area and is conducting a thorough cleaning of the deli area and equipment," the company said in a statement.

Stop & Shop operates 125 stores in Massachusetts, 88 in Connecticut and 27 in Rhode Island.

Big Y also closed its deli counters amid the recall, reopening them by 6 p.m. Friday.

"We have stopped shipment into our stores on any products of concern at this time," John Fraro, Big Y's senior director of fresh foods, said in a statement. "We are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution for our customers' safety. To make sure we are breaking the supply chain, we will also be disposing of all product that may have come in contact with the affected products. We will continue to be vigilant and take precautions to prevent future incidents."

Star Market also said it had recalled Boar's Head deli meats, while New England Shaw's stores, which the company says do not carry Boar's Head deli products, was not included.

"Star Market is committed to the health and safety of our customers, and we are taking measures to ensure that impacted store delis are cleaned and sanitized thoroughly to mitigate the risk," a Shaw's and Star Market spokesperson said.

Boar’s Head Provisions Co. recalled liverwurst because it may be tainted with the listeria bacteria, the U.S. Agriculture Department said. The agency said a sample of Boar’s Head liverwurst from a Maryland store tested positive for listeria.

The company is also recalling deli-sliced meats made the same day on the same line as the contaminated liverwurst at a Virginia plant, the USDA said. The sample was from an unopened package, collected by health officials as part of an investigation into the listeria outbreak.

Testing is underway to determine if the liverwurst sample is connected to the outbreak, health officials said.

“We are cooperating fully with government authorities and conducting our own investigation into this incident,” the Sarasota, Florida-based company said in a statement.

The listeria outbreak was first reported last week. Since late May, 34 people were sickened across 13 states, including two people in Massachusetts. Two people died — in Illinois and New Jersey. It can take weeks for symptoms to develop symptoms so there may be more cases, officials said.

People most commonly reported eating deli-sliced turkey, liverwurst and ham, officials said.

Listeria can contaminate food and sicken people who eat it. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. It can be treated with antibiotics, but it is especially dangerous to pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Boar’s Head recall of over 200,000 pounds shipped nationwide applies to meats sliced at a deli counter, not prepackaged meats. It includes a number of multi-pound packages stamped with an Aug. 10 sell-by date, including bologna, garlic bologna, beef bologna, beef salami, Italian Cappy-style ham and Extra Hot Italian Cappy-style ham. Also included is Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat and Eat, with a sell-by date of Aug. 15.

The company said customers should throw away the recalled products, or return them to the store for a refund. Health officials said refrigerators should be thoroughly cleaned to prevent contamination of other foods.