Boar’s Head deli meat contamination linked to 6 more deaths

The impact of a multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak due to contaminated Boar’s Head deli meat continues to increase in severity as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced six new deaths linked to the bacteria on Wednesday.

Nine people have now died as a result of the deli meat contaminated with Listeria and a total of 57 have been hospitalized. Of the six new fatalities, two happened in South Carolina, one in Florida, one in Tennessee, one in New Mexico, and one in New York. 

The CDC said the Listeria outbreak is the worst since 2011 when 13 people in eight states died after eating contaminated cantaloupe. 

Health officials are urging people to check their homes for any recalled Boar’s Head products, and the CDC said Listeria is a hardy germ that can remain on surfaces like meat slicers and foods even at refrigerated temperatures. It could take up to 10 weeks for people to experience symptoms caused by the bacteria. 

In late July, Boar’s Head recalled 7 million pounds of deli meat covering 10 products ranging from ham to bologna to sausage. All of the recalled meat originated from the company’s Jarratt, Va., plant. 

Grocery stores decided to shut down their deli counters due to the Boar’s Head recall so that they could remove the recalled meat and sanitize deli cases and equipment. 

The recall has already resulted in two lawsuits, with one pending as a potential class-action suit. 

A lawsuit was filed on Aug. 1 in the United States Court for the Eastern District of New York that accuses Boar’s Head Provisions Co. Inc. of improperly, deceptively, and misleadingly labeling and marketing its products by failing to communicate the full extent of the possible Listeria contamination. 

Plaintiff Rita Torres purchased one of the recalled products. She stated in the lawsuit that she and other customers would not have bought the meat if the company would have delivered a proper warning about the possible Listeria issue. 

The first lawsuit as a result of the recall was filed by a Missouri couple claiming Boar’s Head sold the deli meats that caused Sue Fleming to become “deathly ill.” The suit names Maryland Heights, Mo.-based Schnucks Markets as a defendant. 

“We are determined to learn from this experience and emerge stronger,” Boar’s Head said in a statement. “We are conducting a rigorous investigation to identify the root cause of this incident and we are implementing comprehensive remediation measures to ensure all of our deli products meet the highest safety and quality standards.”