‘I wouldn’t eat ANYTHING from this company’: 9th person dies in severe Boar’s Head listeria outbreak

If you’re planning on a turkey or ham sandwich for your lunch, read this first. You’ve likely heard about the dangers of listeria before — in a restaurant’s dirty kitchen, or the shocking food-related reason Kitchen Nightmares wrapped up, and you hope that conditions are clean enough that no one gets sick from bacteria. But there’s a nationwide deli meat recall going on right now that is both terrifying, and sad.

In July 2024, there was a recall of Boar’s Head deli meat from the company’s Jarratt, Virginia plant. The CDC explained that there hasn’t been such a large and serious outbreak in several years. (The last one was the 2011 cantaloupe recall.) There’s a lot to know about this unsettling story.

Which deli meats have been recalled, and in which states?

While listeria monocytogenes was found in Boar’s Head liverwurst at first, several other types of deli meat have been recalled, and you can check this list from the USDA to see if you bought any of them. The deli meats include several kinds of ham (including Virginia Ham Whole and Rosemary Sundried Tomato Ham), bacon (including Canadian Style Bacon and Steakhouse Slab Bacon), hot dogs (Skinless Beef Franks), and sausage (kielbasa).

According to this list from the USDA, several hams from the Old Country brand have also been recalled. These include OC Black Forest Ham, OC Gourmet Pepper Ham, and OC Habanero Ham.

As CNN reported, nine people have passed away as a result of the food contamination, and 57 people have gone to the hospital. According to Fast Company, people who live in 18 states have gotten sick or died from the outbreak. The states include Virginia, Wisconsin, New York, Minnesota, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. The CDC advises that the number of those ill from listeria is likely far more than 57 people, but for those who didn’t have to go to the hospital, there isn’t a record of them.

How does listeria get into deli meat?

According to CNN, listeria can get into turkey, ham, or other deli meat from contaminated processing equipment. If the slicer used for the deli meat has bacteria, for instance, then that bacteria can be transmitted to food. The Mayo Clinic points out that feces from animals, water, and soil often have the bacteria that causes listeria. So, listeria gets into deli meat when it’s at a processing plant or being moved somewhere. According to PBS, the CDC explained,  “89 percent reported eating meats sliced at a deli, most commonly deli-sliced turkey, liverwurst, and ham. Meats were sliced at a variety of supermarket and grocery store delis.”

The scariest part of getting sick from deli meat? You might not feel ill right away. According to CNN, if you get listeriosis, you might not feel anything for 10 weeks. When someone first reported getting ill from Boar’s Head products, it was back in May 2024, so this danger has, unfortunately, been going on for a few months.

It’s aso important to know that some people are more prone to getting sick from deli meat than others. If you’re immunocompromised, 65 or older, or pregnant, it’s safer to eat deli meat that has been heated to 165 F.

As CBS News reported, the Boar’s Head Jarratt plant had some worrisome and, honestly, disgusting conditions before the outbreak. From bugs (a cockroach, a beetle, ants, and flies) to blood, water with “a green algal growth” (ugh), mildew, and mold, it doesn’t sound like the place was as clean as it should be.

Does freezing meat kill listeria?

No. While it might seem that if you freeze deli meat, you could kill listeria, that isn’t the case. According to Live Science, some bacteria will stop spreading when it’s frozen, but listeria doesn’t do that. When scientists are researching bacteria, in fact, they put it in a freezer so it lasts longer. So, it’s not a good idea to put deli meat in the freezer and think that it will automatically kill listeria.

In 2016, when frozen veggies and fruit were recalled, NPR reported that you can get rid of listeria if you heat food to 165 degrees F. But, as NPR said, even that’s not a great idea. If you suspect you’ve gotten ahold of contaminated food, throw it away.