Stop & Shop said Friday that it was temporarily closing all of its store delis after federal health officials ordered a recall of Boar’s Head meat products due to a listeria outbreak that has sickened nearly three dozen people and caused two deaths.
Boar’s Head Provisions Co. pulled nearly nearly 100 tons of its popular deli meats, including liverwurst products that may be tainted with the listeria bacteria, the US Agriculture Department said.
The potentially tainted meats were produced at a Virginia facility between June 11 and July 17 and sold nationwide. The agency said a sample of Boar’s Head liverwurst from a Maryland store tested positive for listeria.
“We are cooperating fully with government authorities and conducting our own investigation into this incident,” the Sarasota, Fla.-based company said in a statement.
The listeria outbreak was first reported last week. 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.
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.
The recall meats include Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst, Boar’s Head Italian Cappy Style ham, Boar’s Head Extra Hot Italian Cappy Style Ham, Boar’s Head Bologna, Boar’s Head Beef Salami, Boar’s Head Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat & Eat,” Boar’s Head Garlic Bologna and Boar’s Head Beef Bologna.
All of the products with the exception of the “Bacon Heat & Eat” have a sell-by date of Aug. 10.
The “Bacon Heat & Eat” that is being recalled has a sell-by date of Aug. 15, according to the USDA.
Stop & Shop announced that the company was in the process of removing all impacted products from its in-store delis.
The company said that it would also discard all meats and cheeses that may have been sliced or prepared in the same area as the affected products out of abundance of caution.
Stop & Shop also pledged to do a deep cleaning of their delis.
“As always, ensuring the safety of the products we sell is our highest priority,” Stop & Shop said in a statement.
Stop & Shop owns and operates more than 400 stores in the New York, New Jersey and New England region.
Earlier this month, the struggling chain said that it would shutter seven stores in the New York City area and 32 overall as inflation was taking its toll on the grocer’s bottom line.
Stop & Shop, which is owned by Dutch conglomerate Ahold Delhaize, had said it was planning to close “underperforming” stores in May, with industry experts estimating as many as 50 would shutter, as The Post reported.
The Quincy, Mass-based company will close four stores on Long Island — in Greenvale, Hempstead, East Meadow and Coram — along with one location in Brooklyn, and in Westchester and Rockland counties by Nov. 2.
But consumers became fed up with the chain during the pandemic when inflation was soaring.
Additional Reporting by Lisa Fickenscher
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