(NEXSTAR) – A recall affecting processed meats sold throughout the country has been expanded to include nearly 2 million additional pounds of pork and pepperoni products.
Alexander & Hornung, a unit of Perdue Premium Meat Company, Inc., first announced a voluntary recall of 234.391 pounds of fully cooked ham and pepperoni products on Dec. 5, after notifying the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes during a product sampling.
The recall has now expanded to 2,320,774 pounds, and affects over two dozen of Alexander & Hornung’s products.
There have been no confirmed reports of illnesses as a result of consuming any of the recalled products, according to both the FSIS and Alexander & Hornung.
“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,” reads a statement posted to Alexander & Hornung’s website.
The company says the affected products were produced prior to Nov. 12, 2021, and sold until Dec. 11, 2021. Items include both Alexander & Hornung-branded products and those produced for private labels, including Wellshire and Niman Ranch, among several others. All bear an establishment number reading “EST. 10125” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
A full list of all 27 recalled products can be found here, with images of product packaging available here. No other Alexander & Hornung products are affected, according to the company’s latest statement.
Customers are urged to discard or return any recalled items. Those with further concerns can call Alexander & Hornung’s consumer hotline at 1-866-866-3703.
Listeriosis, an infection caused by foodborne listeria monocytogenes bacteria, affects roughly 1,600 people each year, around 260 of whom die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those at the highest risk are pregnant women, newborns, young children, those over 65 and those with weakened immune systems. Pregnant woman are also 10 times more likely to contract listeria infection, and pregnant Hispanic women are roughly 24 times more likely. In pregnant women, listeria infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths or preterm labor.
Symptoms of listeria infection include fever and diarrhea, along with headache, stiff neck, nausea, loss of balance, abdominal pain, confusion and convulsions, according to the CDC and FDA. Pregnant women, however, typically only experience flu-like symptoms and fever, the CDC says.
