Alexander & Hornung recalled more than 2 million pounds of pork on Dec. 11 after initially recalling 234,000 pounds on Dec. 5 for traces of Listeria.
The company, which services Whole Foods with products from Wellshire Farms, announced the recall after a pork sample tested positive for Listeria. They also notified the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the contaminated pork.
Any pork product marked with the establishment number “EST. M10125” inside the USDA inspection mark is contaminated and should not be eaten. Included in the recall are fully cooked hams and pepperoni. The company recalled 2,320,774 pounds of pork in total.
Listeria is a bacteria that causes listeriosis, which can be fatal to specific groups of patients. Symptoms include confusion, diarrhea, fevers, loss of balance, muscle aches, headaches, stiff necks and convulsions.
Listeriosis can also cause pregnant women to suffer miscarriages, stillbirths and premature deliveries. The infection can also endanger the life of the newborn. People with weakened immune systems can also suffer from a fatal listeriosis infection.
“The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.”
The disease is treated with antibiotics. Anyone who is high-risk and experiences flu-like symptoms within eight weeks of eating contaminated pork should seek treatment and advise their health provider that they may have eaten meat contaminated with Listeria.
The pork recall is nationwide, and anyone who purchased the contaminated pork should either throw it away or return it to where it was purchased. Consumers who have questions about the contaminated pork recall can contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854. Consumers can also have a live chat with someone from the USDA at Ask USDA Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.
According to the UDSA, no reports of people becoming ill from the contaminated pork have been reported yet. Alexander & Hornung headquarters are located in St. Clair Shores, Mich.
