Big Y, Stop & Shop temporarily close all delis after Boar’s Head recall

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Big Y and Stop & Shop announced on Friday that all of its store delis had been temporarily closed amid a recent recall of certain Boar’s Head meat products. They have since reopened.

Boar’s Head Friday recalled more than 200,000 pounds of its deli products because they may be contaminated with the bacteria that causes listeria infections.

They are recalling their ready-to-eat liverwurst and other deli meats processed on the same day, according to an announcement from the USDA . Officials said the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is recommending delis clean and sanitize all food and non-food surfaces and throw away any open meats and cheeses in the deli area.

With this guidance issued, Big Y decided it was best to temporarily close all their delis and destroy all potentially impacted products with a deep clean and sanitization.

“We are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution for our customers’ safety. To make sure we are breaking the supply chain, we will also be disposing of all product that may have come in contact with the affected products. We will continue to be vigilant and take precautions to prevent future incidents,” senior director of fresh food at Big Y John Fraro said.

The deli counter at the Big Y in Enfield was open again by 4 p.m. Friday. Staff did a deep clean when they came into work Friday morning.

“Regardless if it was Boar’s Head or not, if there was a chance that it cross contaminated or came across our meats, we took it out and cleaned everything,” said Jade Rivera-Mcfarlin, Big Y’s manager of communications. “All of the deli counters, everything was thrown out but they also cleaned, sanitation, deep cleaning everything. All the machines that cut the meat, anything that worked with it, handling it.”

Big Y says after deli counters reopen, the produce is safe to eat.

A Stop & Shop also temporarily closed their delis to remove any produce and clean. They delis reopened by 7:30 p.m. Friday.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Stop & Shop made the decision to temporarily close our delis today to conduct this cleaning and product removal,” a statement from Stop & Shop reads. “Ensuring the safety of the products we sell is our highest priority, and our deli associates are ready to serve our communities.”

The liverwurst products were produced between June 11, 2024, and July 17, 2024, and have a 44-day shelf life. Labels of the recalled products can be viewed at the USDA’s website .

• 3.5-pound loaves in plastic casing, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst Made in Virginia.” The products shipped to retailers bear sell by dates ranging July 25, 2024, to Aug. 30, 2024, printed on the side of the packaging.

The other deli meat products were produced on June 27, 2024 and are:

• 9.5-pound and 4.5-pound full product, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Virginia Ham Old Fashioned Ham” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
• 4-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Italian Cappy Style Ham” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
• 6-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Extra hot Italian Cappy Style Ham” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
• 4-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Bologna” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
• 2.5-pound., or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Beef Salami” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
• 5.5-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat & Eat” with sell by date “AUG 15” on the product packaging.
• 3-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Garlic Bologna” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.
• 3-pound, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis, containing “Boar’s Head Beef Bologna” with sell by date “AUG 10” on the product packaging.

Health officials in Maryland discovered the bacteria in the liverwurst and believe it could be related to a recent outbreak of L. monocytogenes infections. The USDA says more testing is required to determine if Boar’s Head’s product is behind the outbreak.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, according to the USDA. The infection can cause serious health concerns in people who are pregnant, over age 65 or have weakened immune systems.

Dr. Paul Anthony, an infectious disease doctor at Hartford Hospital, said it may take days to appear.

“Usually, symptoms may happen 10 days after you get infected, but sometimes it can unfortunately happen the same day or up to two weeks after,” he said.

He added that symptoms should pass with time but it could be worse if you are immunocompromised.

Nationwide, three dozen people have become sick and two have died so far — none of these cases were in Connecticut.

“The best advice is to get into your fridge and if you’ve seen anything that’s been recalled, throw it out and also to clean the area where it was,” Anthony said.

Consumers who purchased the recalled deli products are urged to throw them away or return them to the store. They should also clean out their refrigerators to avoid cross-contaminating other food.

Customers were surprised to hear about the recall.

“I had bought some last week,” said Jeffrey Haddock, of Enfield. “I ate it and I didn’t get sick from it. I’m glad that I know they cleaned the shelves off.”

Anyone with questions regarding the recall can contact Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc., Customer Service at 1-800-352-6277.

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