Deli meat listeria outbreak 2024: List of impacted states as deaths and hospitalizations linked to Boar’s Head products spread

In late July, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it was investigating a listeria outbreak believed to be linked to deli meats. At the time, the outbreak was known to be in 12 states and had caused two deaths. By the end of the month, it was believed that the outbreak was linked to a Boar’s Head liverwurst product. The company subsequently recalled roughly seven million pounds of meat products.

Now the CDC is again warning consumers that they should check their refrigerators for the impacted products, as more cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have occurred across more states.

Here’s the latest update:

What’s happened?

On August 28, the CDC issued an updated Food Safety Alert related to the existing Boar’s Head listeria outbreak. The update unfortunately confirmed that the listeria outbreak has expanded to more states and caused more hospitalizations and deaths.

The CDC’s update also again urged people to check their refrigerators for the meats, as some have expiration dates as long as October.

What foods are included in the recall?

As Fast Company previously reported, the prime culprit in the listeria outbreak is a Boar’s Head liverwurst product that bears the name “Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst MADE IN VIRGINIA” and has sell-by dates that range from July 25 to August 30.

However, Boar’s Head is recalling dozens of more products than just the one above. This is because those products were made at the same facility as the one that handled the Liverwurst product, which is believed to be the source of the outbreak.

A list of recalled products can be found here. Additionally, the labels of recalled products can be seen here.

Where is the outbreak located now?

As of August 28, the CDC says the outbreak has expanded to five new states, bringing the total up to 18. The states where the listeria outbreak is known to be, as the number of sick people in those states are:

• Arizona: 1
• Florida: 3
• Georgia: 2
• Illinois: 1
• Indiana: 1
• Maryland: 8
• Massachusetts: 3
• Minnesota: 1
• Missouri: 3
• New Jersey: 5
• New Mexico: 1
• New York: 17
• North Carolina: 1
• Pennsylvania: 2
• South Carolina: 2
• Tennessee: 1
• Virginia: 4
• Wisconsin: 1

In total, there have been 57 cases related to this outbreak so far, and all 57 people have been hospitalized.

How many people have died due to this outbreak?

Unfortunately, there has now been a total of nine deaths. The states the deaths occurred in are:

• Florida: 1
• Illinois: 1
• New Jersey: 1
• New Mexico: 1
• New York: 1
• South Carolina: 2
• Tennessee: 1
• Virginia: 1

What has Boar’s Head said about this outbreak?

Boar’s Head has a dedicated page on its website where it is providing information about the recall.

“For generations, Boar’s Head has always been, and remains, committed to the quality and safety of our products,” a statement on the website reads. “You have our promise that we are dedicated to all Boar’s Head products consistently meeting the high quality and safety standards you deserve and expect. We deeply regret the impact this recall has had on affected families. No words can fully express our sympathies and the sincere and deep hurt we feel for those who have suffered losses or endured illness.”

We’ve also reached out to Boar’s Head for additional comment.

What should I do?

The CDC is urging everyone to check their refrigerators for the recalled Boar’s Head products. “Look for ‘EST. 12612’ or ‘P-12612’ inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels. Some of the products have sell-by dates into October 2024,” the agency says.

The CDC says you should not eat any of the recalled products and instead throw them away or return them to their place of purchase. Additionally, you should clean any surface that has come into contact with the recalled products, including your refrigerator, containers, and any other products.

Full CDC recommendations can be found here.