Following a federal government-mandated recall of Boar's Head meat products due to concerns regarding a potential listeria outbreak, Stop & Shop announced on Friday that they would be closing all delis in their supermarket chain out of "an abundance of caution."
As for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Boar's Head will be recalling approximately 210,000 pounds of deli meat out of fears of listeria contamination.
Listeria is type of bacteria that acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals; it is a serious disease for humans, potentially causing sepsis and meningitis, and symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea.
A wide variety of Boar's Head products are included in the recall; the full list is made up of Strassburger Brand Liverwurst, Italian Cappy Style ham, Extra Hot Italian Cappy Style Ham, Bologna, Beef Salami, Steakhouse Roasted "Bacon Heat & Eat," Garlic Bologna and Beef Bologna.
All of the recalled products have a sell-by date of August 10, aside from the “Bacon Heat & Eat,” which has a sell-by date of August 15.
In response, Stop & Shop said they are currently removing all of the recalled products from their stores immediately, in addition to throwing away other food prepared in the same area of their delis that may have been cross-contaminated "out of an abundance of caution."
The company also announced that they would be preforming a deep cleaning of their delis before restocking and reopening them, with a spokesperson saying “As always, ensuring the safety of the products we sell is our highest priority."