A couple in Missouri is suing Boar’s Head over a deadly multi-state listeria outbreak linked to deli meats.
OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the couple, said the woman became “deathly ill” and was hospitalized in early July after purchasing and consuming Boar's Head liverwurst in June.
Testing then confirmed she had been suffering from a life-threatening listeria infection, the law group said.
The couple regularly buys Boar’s Head liverwurst and other deli products from their local Schnucks grocery store.
While the woman survived the illness, she spent a “lengthy” time at a rehabilitation facility following her hospitalization.
As of July 26, there have been 34 reported illnesses — 33 of which required hospitalization — linked to this Boar’s Head listeria outbreak since June. Two people have died. Illness has been reported in 13 different states so far.
Because it can take four to six weeks for symptoms of a listeria infection to present themselves, it is expected that more illnesses will be reported.
Deli meats are known as a “notorious source” of listeria, OFT Law said.
"Unfortunately, we've seen this before with deli meats," attorney Ryan Osterholm said in a press release. "It gets in the facility, and if you're not doing deep cleans often enough, it sticks around. That's how Listeria proliferates. From there, it gets in the food and it makes people very sick. Then people get hospitalized, and sometimes, far too often, people die."
The recall affected ready-to-eat liverwurst and other deli meat products.
Check out our previous coverage for products affected by the recall.
