A Newport News family is mourning the loss of their loved one, after they say 88-year-old Gunter Morganstein died after eating deli meat from Boar's Head.
Last month Boar's Head recalled several products made over the summer, due to a listeria outbreak.
The CDC says at least three people have died following the Boar’s Head recall.
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Morganstein’s family says he’s one of them.
News 3 reached out to Boar's Head and they say the Liverwurst pork produced at their Jarratt, Virginia facility was contaminated.
Morganstein’s family says he ate that frequently, even a few days before he was rushed to the hospital.
"He was starting to not eat as much a couple of weeks before," Shon Morganstein, the son of Gunter Morganstein said.
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Gunter was a hair stylist in Newport News and did hair up until he became sick.
Shon says things took a turn for the worst when his father was rushed to the emergency room on July 8.
"He was complaining to my mom early in the morning that he was having trouble breathing. They started doing testing because they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. Then it came back as listeria," Morganstein said.
They traced it back to Liverwurst that he says his father had gotten from a grocery store.
Shon says his father died 10 days after he was rushed to the hospital.
Boar's Head sent the following statement to News 3:
"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 are conducting an extensive investigation in partnership with leading food safety experts to determine how our liverwurst produced at our Jarratt, Virginia facility was adulterated and to prevent it from happening again.
As soon as we learned of a possible health risk with our liverwurst, we immediately recalled it and then, out of an abundance of caution, voluntarily expanded our recall to include every product made at the same facility. We have paused production at this facility in Jarratt, Virginia, and will not resume until we are confident that it meets the standards our customers expect and deserve. Consumer health and wellness are, and always have been, our top priorities."
Boar's Head says they have stopped production at that facility.
"The number one thing on the recall was Liverwurst. My mom knew that he loved to eat that and knew that he had eaten that recently," Morganstein said.
News 3's Leondra Head went out and spoke to Hampton Roads delis to see how the Boars Head’s recall is impacting them.
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"We don’t have it now because of what’s happened. But as things settle down and Boar's Head clears things up, we will use it again," Adel Hagez, the owner of Granby Bistro & Deli said.
He says the recall forced them to switch to another meat carrier.
"We’ve replaced it with some good premium meat," Hagez said.
Shon says he and his family are pursuing a lawsuit against Boar's Head due to his father’s death.
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