The cheese products were recalled by The Ambriola Co., a New Jersey-based cheese manufacturer, and were sold at several grocery stores, including Wegman’s and Big Y, under brand names including Boar’s Head and Locatelli.
Wednesday’s recall announcement is an expansion of the Nov. 22 recall issued by Ambriola, which covered two products. The recall comes after testing found the presence of listeria monocytogenes in some of the company’s cheese products. No illnesses have been reported to date from the cheese.
“We take food safety very seriously and immediately alerted stores and distributors to remove the affected products from shelves,” said Phil Marfuggi, Ambriola’s Chief Executive Officer, in the news release announcing the recall. “We are working closely with the FDA and continuing to test our products and facilities to fully understand the situation.”
The FDA has previously classified the initial recall as “Class I,” which the agency defines as “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
The affected products are:
In a statement provided to CT Insider on Wednesday, a Boar’s Head spokesperson stressed that the outbreak was from a third-party manufacturer, Ambriola Co., and did not affect any other Boar’s Head products.
“Boar’s Head took immediate action to halt the purchase of these products from The Ambriola Company, notify retail partners, and ensure that the affected products are being removed from distribution nationally,” the spokesperson said.
This weeks recall is not the first time a Boar’s Head product has been recalled for listeria concerns. Last July, the company recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli products to combat a listeria outbreak that hospitalized dozens across the country and killed at least 10 people.
Eating food contaminated with listeria can cause listeriosis, a serious infection. Mild symptoms may include a fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting and diarrhea. If the more severe form of listeriosis develops, symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, according to the FDA.
Listeriosis is most likely to sicken pregnant women, newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with otherwise weakened immune systems. The infection is a particular risk during pregnancy, as a listeria infection while pregnant can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or a life-threatening infection to the newborn, according to the FDA.
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