7 Million Pounds Of Deli Meat Have Been Recalled After Listeria Shows Up In 13 States

BACKGROUND

A deadly food poisoning outbreak has led to the recall of more than 7 million pounds of Boar's Head deli meats made at a plant in Virginia.

U.S. health officials are continuing to investigate the outbreak of the bacteria listeria that began in May. Two people have died and nearly three dozen were hospitalized in 13 states.

The problem was discovered when a liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland tested positive for listeria. Further testing showed that the type of bacteria was the same strain causing illnesses in people.

Listeria poisoning is caused by a particularly resilient type of bacteria that can survive and grow even during refrigeration, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The meat was distributed to stores nationwide, as well as to the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama, Agriculture Department officials said.

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Boar's Head expands recall to include 7 million more pounds of deli meats tied to listeria outbreak

Here's what to know about recalled Boar's Head deli meats linked to a deadly listeria outbreak

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FIND YOUR STATE: WHERE SICK PEOPLE LIVED

Since late May, 34 people were sickened across 13 states, with all but one hospitalized. 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.

View the CDC's map here with the number of people affected. Sick people lived in the following states:

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Minnesota

Missouri

North Carolina

New York

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

Virginia

Wisconsin

WHICH PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN RECALLED?

The new recall includes 71 products made between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar's Head and Old Country brand names. It follows an earlier recall of more than 200,000 pounds of sliced deli poultry and meat. The new items include meat intended to be sliced at delis as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold in stores.

They include liverwurst, ham, beef salami, bologna and other products made at the firm's Jarratt, Virginia, plant.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to immediately and voluntarily expand our recall to include all items produced at the Jarratt facility," the Boar's Head said on its website. It has also halted production of ready-to-eat foods at the plant.

You can view a list of all recalled products here. Images of the product labels can be seen here.

The company lists its locations here. Note, that the recalled products came from the Jarratt, Virginia, plant. Products from the other factories haven't been recalled.

WHAT IS LISTERIA AND WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Listeria can contaminate food and sicken people who eat it. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea and tiredness. Infection may cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can occur quickly or to up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food. The infections are especially dangerous for people older than 65, those with weakened immune systems and pregnant people, who can have miscarriages. This outbreak includes people aged 32 to 94, with a median age of 75. One pregnant person got sick, but did not have a miscarriage, officials said.

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

HOW IS LISTERIA TREATED?

Infections confined to the gut an often be treated without antibiotics according to the CDC. For example, people might need extra fluids while experiencing diarrhea.

Infections that spread beyond the gut are dangerous, and are often treated with antibiotics to lessen the risk of blood infections and brain inflammation, according to the Mayo Clinic.

IF YOU BOUGHT RECALLED MEATS, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

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.

CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS

— Connect with local retirement communities and nursing homes. Did they purchase any of the products that have been recalled? Have residents been impacted? Have they had to change up meals?

— Deli meats for sandwiches are a common go-to for school and summer camp lunches. Are families in your area making different lunches?

— Visit local delis, grocery stores with deli counters, sandwich shops and butchers. Did they sell any of the recalled items? Is the recall impacting them and how? For grocery stores where customers may have purchased the meat, have they been getting a lot of returned meat and issuing refunds?