Many Massachusetts grocery stores have closed for the second time in less than a week after a nationwide recall of Boar’s Head products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Photos from inside a Stop & Shop store showed that most of the products had been removed from the display cases Tuesday. Signs on the window indicated that the store was closed for a “deep cleaning out of an abundance of caution.” After multiple inquiries from NewsCenter 5, Stop & Shop released a statement confirming the store closures. “Boar’s Head has informed us that they will be expanding their recall to include additional deli products,” the grocery chain said in a statement. “Stop & Shop has taken proactive steps to help protect our customers by temporarily closing our delis again today for a deep cleaning and sanitization. Stop & Shop has removed all affected Boar’s Head products from sale.” We have also thrown out all other opened deli meats and cheeses that may have come into contact with the recalled items. This is in addition to the steps we took last week — when the recall was initially announced — to throw out all opened deli meats and deep clean and sanitize the delis. As always, ensuring the safety of the products we sell is our top priority.” The statement was released just after 2 p.m. and noted that Boston-area delis had just reopened. Delis inside Stop & Shop and Big Y stores were also closed Friday after the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recommended cleaning and sanitizing surfaces in the facilities. Stop & Shop reopened the delis later that evening, saying staff had “completed the process of deep cleaning equipment and removing all products affected by the Boar’s Head recall.” Stop & Shop has 125 locations in Massachusetts. Big Y operates about 60 locations in the state. The listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head products was first reported two weeks ago. Dozens of people have been sickened, most of whom have 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 lower temperatures,” says Dr. Todd Ellerin of South Shore Health. “It can survive in a refrigerator, which is one of the ways we think of keeping our food safe.” Ellerin says one way to eliminate listeria is to use high heat. “If you heat any of these deli meats to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it kills the listeria,” Ellerin said. Ellerin said customers who purchased other deli meats from stores that sold Boar’s Head should also be cautious. “There could be cross-contamination, so the equipment in the deli could be infected,” Ellerin said. Ellerin said federal investigators are continuing to look into the source of the listeria. “It’s possible that there’s potentially another type of manufacturer or supplier that infected the deli meat,” Ellerin said. Video below: Doctor discusses Listeria contamination in deli meatsAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,600 people get Listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die from it. The Boar’s Head recall affects a number of products with a sell-by date of August 10, including Mortadella, Garlic Mortadella, Beef Mortadella, Beef Salami, Cappy Style Italian Ham and Cappy Style Extra Hot Italian Ham. Also included is Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat and Eat, which has a sell-by date of August 15.
Many Massachusetts delicatessens have been closed for the second time in less than a week following a nationwide recall of Boar’s Head products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Photos taken inside a Stop & Shop store showed that most products had been removed from the windows Tuesday. Signs on the windows indicated that the grocery store was closed for “precautionary deep cleaning.”
After multiple inquiries from NewsCenter 5, Stop & Shop released a statement confirming the deli closures.
“Boar’s Head has informed us that they will be expanding their recall to include additional deli meat products,” the grocery chain said in a statement. “Stop & Shop has taken proactive steps to help protect our customers by temporarily closing our grocery stores today for a deep cleaning and sanitizing. Stop & Shop has removed all affected Boar’s Head products from sale. We have also thrown out all other opened deli meats and cheeses that may have come into contact with the recalled items. This is in addition to the steps we took last week — when the recall was initially announced — to throw out all opened deli meats and deep clean and sanitize our grocery stores. As always, keeping the products we sell safe is our top priority.”
The statement was released just after 2 p.m. and indicated that Boston-area delicatessens had just reopened.
Delis inside Stop & Shop and Big Y stores were also closed Friday after the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recommended cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in the facilities.
Stop & Shop reopened the delis later that evening, saying staff had “completed the deep cleaning process of equipment and removed all products affected by the Boar’s Head recall.”
Stop & Shop has 125 locations in Massachusetts. Big Y operates about 60 locations in the state.
The listeriosis outbreak linked to Boar’s Head products was first reported two weeks ago. Dozens of people have been sickened, most of whom have required hospitalization. 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 lower temperatures,” says Dr. Todd Ellerin of South Shore Health. “It can survive in a refrigerator, which is one of the ways we think of keeping our food safe.”
Ellerin explains that one way to eliminate listeria is to use high heat.
“If you heat any of these deli meats to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it kills listeria,” Ellerin said.
Ellerin said customers who have purchased other deli meats from stores selling Boar’s Head should also exercise caution. “There could be cross-contamination, so the deli equipment could be infected,” Ellerin said.
Ellerin said federal investigators are continuing to investigate the source of the listeria. “It’s possible that another type of manufacturer or supplier infected the deli meat,” Ellerin said.
Video below: Doctor discusses Listeria contamination of processed meats
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year and about 260 die.
The Boar’s Head recall affects a number of products with a sell-by date of August 10, including Mortadella, Garlic Mortadella, Beef Mortadella, Beef Salami, Cappy Style Italian Ham and Cappy Style Extra Hot Italian Ham. Also affected is Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat and Eat, which has a sell-by date of August 15.