Numerous Massachusetts grocery stores temporarily closed their delis on Friday following a nationwide recall of Boar’s Head products potentially contaminated with Listeria. Big Y said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recommended cleaning and sanitizing surfaces in the facility. The agency also recommended discarding any opened meats and cheeses in the deli. “At this time, we have stopped shipping any products of concern to our stores,” John Flaro, Big Y’s senior director of fresh produce, said in a statement. “We are taking these steps with the safety of our customers as our number one priority. We will dispose of any products that may have come into contact with the affected products to ensure we break the supply chain,” the statement said. Stop & Shop also said it will discard any opened products and deep clean the deli area and equipment. Video below: Stop & Shop deli closesStop & Shop said Friday evening that its deli had reopened after “completing the process of deep cleaning our equipment and removing all products affected by the Boar’s Head recall.” Stop & Shop said it made the decision to temporarily close its delis on Friday to clean and remove products “out of an abundance of caution.” Big Y operates about 60 locations throughout Massachusetts. Stop & Shop has 125 stores in the state. The Listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head products was first reported last week. As of Thursday, 34 people had become ill, all but one of whom had been hospitalized. Two people have died. Listeria can contaminate food and make people who eat it sick. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. It can be treated with antibiotics, but it is especially dangerous for pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. “Listeria can survive at low temperatures,” says Dr. Todd Ellerin with South Shore Health. “It can survive in the refrigerator. We think that’s one way to keep food safe.” Dr. Ellerin says high temperatures are one way to get rid of Listeria. “If you heat these deli meats to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the Listeria bacteria will be killed,” Dr. Ellerin said. Customers who buy other deli meats at stores that sell Boar’s Head should also be cautious, Dr. Ellerin said. “There’s a possibility of cross-contamination, and deli equipment could be infected,” Dr. Ellerin said. Federal investigators continue to look into the source of the Listeria outbreak, Dr. Ellerin said. “There could be another type of manufacturer or supplier that contaminated the deli meat,” Dr. Ellerin said. Video below: Doctors talk about Listeria contamination in deli meats. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1,600 people get Listeria food poisoning every year, and about 260 die. The Boar’s Head recall includes numerous products with a sell-by date stamped on them of August 10, including bologna, garlic bologna, beef bologna, beef salami, Italian Cappy-style ham and extra hot Italian Cappy-style ham. The offer also applies to the steakhouse’s Roast Bacon Heat and Eat, with a sales deadline of August 15th.
Many Massachusetts grocery stores closed on Friday. Nationwide Recall of Boar’s Head Products It may be contaminated with Listeria.
Big Y said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has recommended cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in the facility. The agency also recommended discarding any opened meats and cheeses in the deli.
“At this time, we have stopped shipping the affected product to our stores,” John Flaro, Big Y’s senior director of fresh produce, said in a statement. “We are taking this action with the safety of our customers in mind. We will also destroy any products that may have come into contact with the affected product to ensure we close our supply chain.”
Stop & Shop also said it would discard any opened merchandise and conduct deep cleaning of deli areas and equipment.
Video below: Stop & Shop deli closes
Stop & Shop announced Friday evening that it had reopened its delis after “removing all products affected by the Boar’s Head recall and completing a deep cleaning of our facilities.”
Stop & Shop said it made the decision to temporarily close its delis on Friday to allow for cleaning and removal of merchandise “out of an abundance of caution.”
Big Y operates about 60 stores across Massachusetts, and Stop & Shop has 125 stores in the state.
The listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head products was first reported last week. As of Thursday, 34 people had been infected, with all but one hospitalized. 2 people died.
Listeria can contaminate food and make people who eat it sick. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. It can be treated with antibiotics, but is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
“Listeria can survive at low temperatures,” said Dr. Todd Ellerin with South Shore Health, “and it can survive in the refrigerator. We think that’s one of the ways we keep our food safe.”
According to Ellerin, one way to eliminate Listeria is through high heat.
“When these deli meats are heated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the listeria bacteria is killed,” Ellerin said.
Ellerin said customers who buy other deli meats at stores that sell Boar’s Head should also be careful. “Cross contamination can occur, equipment in the deli can become contaminated,” Ellerin said.
Ellerin said federal investigators are continuing to investigate the source of the Listeria outbreak. “It’s possible that there are other types of manufacturers or suppliers that may have infected the delicatessen meats,” Ellerin said.
Video below: Doctor speaks out about Listeria contamination in deli meats
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die from it.
The Boar’s Head recall includes numerous products with a sell-by date of Aug. 10, including bologna, garlic bologna, beef bologna, beef salami, Italian Cappy Style Ham and extra hot Italian Cappy Style Ham. It also includes Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat ‘n’ Eat, which has a sell-by date of Aug. 15.
