In any given year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a recall or outbreak linked to salami or another “Italian-style” meat. But 2021 was notable in that there wasn’t just one, there were four recalls and two outbreaks linked to these products.
Of the 14 multistate outbreaks announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) so far this year, two were linked to salami or Italian-style meats. A first in recent history. In the 15 years of annual outbreak lists available on the agency’s website, 2021 is the only year when more than one of these outbreaks occurred. Both were Salmonella outbreaks. One was linked to Citterio Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks, the other to Fratelli Beretta antipasto trays.
And then there were the recalls for products potentially contaminated with bacteria. Two recalls (and one public health alert) were issued in association with the Salmonella outbreaks. And two more recalls were issued within the last week – a Listeria recall for ham and pepperoni products, and a pepperoni recall for products potentially contaminated with Bacillus cereus. There hasn’t been another year in recent history where as many of these recalls have been issued.
2021 Salami or Italian Meat Outbreaks and Recalls
Margherita Brand Pepperoni Recall
On December 14, 2021, Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp., doing business as Margherita Meats, Inc. of Omaha issued the recall for 10,990 pounds of the unsliced ready-to-eat pepperoni for risk of contamination with the bacteria Bacillus cereus.
The recalled product was sold in 8-oz. packages containing unsliced pepperoni with the lot code P1931C and a “use by” date” of 12-14-21 on the label. The establishment number “EST. 19” appears inside the USDA mark of inspection.
Alexander & Hornung Ham and Pepperoni Recall
On December 5, 2021, Alexander & Hornung of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, a business unit of Perdue Premium Meat Company, Inc., issued a Listeria recall for 234,391 pounds of fully cooked ham and pepperoni. On December 11, 2021, the recall was expanded to include 2.3 million pounds of products sold under the following 12 brand names: Wellshire, Alexander & Hornung, Food Club, Butcher Boy, Niman Ranch, Garrett Valley Farms, Open Nature, Amish Country, Amish Valley, Lancaster, Five Star, and Big Y.
Citterio Salame Sticks Salmonella Outbreak
A Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- outbreak linked to Citterio brand Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks sold at Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, and other stores sickened 34 people in 10 states. Most of the people sickened were children. Seven people were hospitalized.
The patients ranged in age from 1 to 75 years old, 79 percent were under the age of 18. The median age of outbreak patients is 8 years old.
The number of illnesses reported from each state is: California (13), Illinois (6), Kansas (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (3), Minnesota (3), New Jersey (2), New York (1), Pennsylvania (1) and Virginia (2).
Citterio Salame Sticks Recall
On November 10, 2021, Euro Foods of Freeland, PA issued a recall for Citterio “Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks.” The recall included 119,091 pounds of salami sticks produced prior to October 25, 2021, that were sold nationwide and in Bermuda. The recall included:
- 2-oz packages of Citterio “Premium Italian-Style Salame Sticks ALL NATURAL”
- “Best by” dates through January 23, 2022
- “EST. 4010” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
2021 Fratelli Beretta Antipasto Salmonella Outbreak
In August 2021, the CDC identified Fratelli Beretta antipasto trays as the source of a 17-state Salmonella outbreak that sickened 40 people before ending in October 2021. The trays, sold at Costco stores nationwide, contained salami, prosciutto, soppressata, and coppa. Twelve people were hospitalized.
This outbreak included two Salmonella strains – Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Infantis. The people sickened ranged in age from 1 to 91 years old.
The number of illnesses reported from each state was: Arizona (5), California (8), Colorado (1), Illinois (5), Indiana (1) Maryland (1), Michigan (2), Minnesota (2), Nevada (1), New York (1), Ohio (3), Oregon (2), Texas (3), Utah (1), Virginia (1), Washington (2) and Wisconsin (1).
Fratelli Beretta Antipasto, Salami Recall
On August 27, 2021, Fratelli Beretta issued a recall for antipasto trays sold nationwide at Costco. The recalled trays contained two 12-oz packages with slices of salami, prosciutto, soppressata, and coppa. They had “best by” dates of August 27, 2021, through February 11, 2022, and the UPC code 073541305316.
Experienced Food Safety Lawyers
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