What to know about listeria following BrucePac and Boar's Head recalls
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can contaminate food and cause serious complications for some. BrucePac and Boar's Head had recent recalls due to listeria risk.
The Agriculture Department announced Tuesday that meat producer BrucePac was recalling 11.8 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products due to possible listeria contamination, just months after the listeria-related recall of Boar’s Head deli meats in July.
With two major recalls of listeria-laden food in just the past few months, many may be wondering what listeria is, what the risks are and how to avoid infection.
Here’s what to know.
Listeria monocytogenes is a type of bacteria that can contaminate food and cause serious complications for certain groups of individuals.
Specifically, pregnant women, newborns, adults over age 65 and people with weakened immune systems should watch out for this bug, which can lead to miscarriage, widespread infection, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord lining, muscle pain, and flu-like symptoms.
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