If You Bought These Meats, Throw Them Away Now, USDA Says

THEY COULD POSE A MAJOR SAFETY RISK TO ANYONE WHO EATS THEM, EXPERTS WARN.

As the holidays approach, you may find yourself making more trips to the grocery store than usual, gathering supplies to create your holiday feast. And while making enough food for your family and friends—and preparing something everyone enjoys—may be at the forefront of your mind, authorities say there could be a bigger concern related to the preparation of your holiday meal this year. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just announced that a popular food manufacturer is pulling more than 234,000 pounds of its products from the market due to the serious risk they may pose to consumers. Read on to find out which foods are being recalled and what to do if you have them at home.

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More than 234,000 pounds of ham and pepperoni are being recalled.
Shutterstock/Elena Veselova

On Dec. 5, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that St. Clair Shores, Michigan-based Alexander & Hornung, a subsidiary of Perdue, had initiated a recall of approximately 234,391 pounds of cooked ham and pepperoni.

The recalled products include Alexander & Hornung Boneless Ham, Alexander & Hornung ¼ Boneless Ham, Alexander & Hornung Glazed Fully-Cooked Spiral Sliced Honey Ham, Alexander & Hornung ½ Spiral Honey Glazed Ham, Alexander & Hornung Spiral Spiced Smoked Ham, Alexander & Hornung ½ Spiral Sliced Ham w/ Glaze, Wellshire Wood Smoked Spiral Sliced All-Natural Semi-Boneless Cooked Seasoned Uncured Ham, Wellshire ½ Spiral Sliced Uncured Ham Semi-Boneless, Wellshire ½ Spiral Sliced Uncured Ham Semi-Boneless w/ Glaze, Wellshire Wood Smoked Semi-Boneless All Natural Cooked Season Uncured Ham, Wellshire ½ Semi-Boneless Uncured Ham, Wellshire Wood Smoked Spiral Sliced All Natural Semi-Boneless Cooked Seasoned Uncured Ham, Wellshire Whole Spiral Sliced Uncured Ham Semi-Boneless w/ Glaze, Wellshire Wood Smoked All Natural Semi-Boneless Cooked Seasoned Uncured Ham, Wellshire Whole Semi-Boneless Uncured Ham, Butcher Boy Boneless Fully Cooked Ham, Butcher Boy NuVue Boneless Ham, Garrett Valley Farms All Natural Spiral Sliced Uncured Ham, Garrett Valley Farms ½ Spiral Sliced Uncured Ham Semi-Boneless w/ Glaze, Food Club Fully Cooked Spiral Sliced Ham, Food Club ½ Spiral Ham w/ Honey Glaze, Niman Ranch All Natural Applewood Smoked Uncured Ham, Niman Ranch All Natural Uncured Boneless Applewood Smoked Ham, Open Nature Spiral Sliced Seasoned Uncured Ham, Open Nature Spiral Sliced Seasoned Uncured Ham, Big Y Bone-In Hickory Smoked Ham Steak, Big Y Bone In Ham Steak, Alexander & Hornung Super Trim Bone-In Ham Steak, Alexander & Hornung Bone In Hickory Smoked Ham Steak, Alexander & Hornung Fully Cooked ready to Eat Ham, Alexander & Hornung Ham, Five Star Pepperoni, and Five Star Pepperoni Stick. The plant codes, case label codes, and use-by dates of the affected products can be found on the USDA website.

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The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Shutterstock/adriaticfoto

The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the products could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a type of potentially dangerous bacteria.

The recalled products are all marked with establishment number EST. M10125, which can be located within the USDA inspection mark on the packaging. The products were distributed to retailers throughout the U.S.; the establishments selling the recalled products have been notified to remove them from circulation. "When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website," according to the recall notice.

Listeria can cause serious health issues or even death.
iStock

Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria can cause a long list of serious health problems, including balance issues, confusion, convulsions, fever, gastrointestinal distress, headache, and muscle aches in otherwise healthy individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Pregnant people may experience these symptoms, as well as fatigue, miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth, and potentially fatal infections in their newborn babies. Older adults, pregnant people, newborns, and immunocompromised individuals are most likely to become seriously ill or die from Listeria exposure. At the time the recall was announced, Alexander & Hornung had received no confirmed reports of illness or injury associated with the recalled foods.

If you purchased the recalled foods, throw them away.
Shutterstock/lovelyday12

If you bought any of the recalled products, don't eat them. If you have them in your home, throw them away immediately or return them to the store from which they were purchased. If you have eaten any of the recalled foods and are experiencing health issues, contact a healthcare provider immediately.

If you have questions related to the recall, contact Alexander & Hornung VP of Communications Kerri McClimen at (773) 746-7077 or [email protected] or call the company's Consumer Hotline at 866-866-3703 on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. Updated information about the recall can be found on the Alexander & Hornung and FSIS websites.

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