Boar’s Head, a meat supplier, has recalled 200,000 pounds of meat over concerns about listeria, federal health officials said Friday. Suppliers began removing meat from meat stores last Wednesday, according to New York City health officials and meat store owners.
However, officials advised people in at-risk groups to avoid eating the canned meat until the recall is complete.
The recall comes as authorities continue to investigate a listeria outbreak linked to pre-cut meats in New York, New Jersey and Maryland that has sickened dozens of people across the country and killed two people in New Jersey and Illinois.
Health officials say people over 65 or pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the effects of listeria, which include miscarriage, fever, muscle aches, fatigue and headache.
“We are working hard to spread this message and make sure that [the Boars Head meat products are] “These diseases can be eliminated, but it takes time,” Vasudha Reddy, deputy director of communicable diseases at the city’s health department, said in a phone interview.
“At the same time, if you are in these high-risk groups, it is best to avoid eating any cured meats,” she said. “If someone in these high-risk groups wants to eat cured meats, they should reheat the cured meats to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.”
John Dedvokai, owner of Berisha Cafe on Varick Street in Soho, said his distributor called on Wednesday to notify him of the recall.
“Boar’s Head came here and said, ‘We need to get this particular meat back because it was taken off the market,’” he said. “They got it back and left.”
The distributor promised to pay for the product, Didvokai said.
Managers of two other deli stores in the neighborhood said they were unaware of the recall.
Dedvokai said he had only sold a few slices of Virginia bacon before hearing about the recall.
Matthew Katz, a resident of the neighborhood, canceled his lunch order when he learned of the recall — “because I don’t want to get sick.”
The USDA said the Boar’s Head recall came after samples of liver sausage taken in Maryland were found to be contaminated with listeria. Boar’s Head is recalling all liver sausage in stores along with other meats processed on the same day, including bacon, bologna, ham and salami with sell-by dates before Aug. 30. A full list of recalled products can be found at USDA Website.
A spokesman for the New York State Department of Agriculture, which notifies deli chains of recalls, did not respond to questions after the outbreak notice last week or after the products were recalled Friday.
The city’s health department advised butcher shop workers to clean their equipment and advised consumers to beware of possible cross-contamination through meat juices. It said people should wash their hands well and avoid keeping meat in the refrigerator for long periods of time.
“But the real message about Boar’s Head is that if you have any of the recalled products in your home, you should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase,” Reddy said.
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