If you were thinking of serving any type of pork for Christmas dinner — or any dinner this year, you might want to hold that thought.
Earlier this month, Alexander & Hornung — a unit of Perdue Premium Meat Company, Inc. — recalled 234,391 pounds of pork products due to possible Listeria contamination. Since then, the recall has expanded to over two million pounds of pork products.
A list of all 27 products that are currently recalled can be found here. Most are fully cooked ham products. Brands include Five Star, Wellshire, Niman Ranch, Amish Country, Butcher Boy, Lancaster, Food Club, Big Y, Open Nature, and Garrett Valley Farms. These products are typically sold in Whole Foods, ACME, and Safeway, among other retail stores.
In product sampling, the company discovered positive Listeria monocytogenes results. Then, they notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the first recall went into effect on December 5.
Recalled products are labeled “EST. M10125.” They were shipped to various retail locations prior to knowledge of possible contamination.
In a statement, the company said, “While there have been no illnesses or complaints associated with the products and there is no conclusive evidence that the products were contaminated at the time of shipment, the voluntary recall is being initiated out of an abundance of caution.”
According to the FSIS, listeriosis — the disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes — mostly affects older adults, pregnant women as well as their newborns, and those who have weakened immune systems. A common symptom of listeriosis is gastrointestinal issues. Other symptoms may include muscle aches, fever, headache, confusion, and stiff neck.
So far, there have not been any reported adverse reactions to any of the recalled products. Still, the FSIS encourages anyone concerned about an illness or injury to contact a healthcare provider.
The FSIS urges consumers to throw away or return any of the recalled products, should they have purchased them.