Headcheese Listeria Outbreak in Illinois

Three Sick in Illinois

FSIS is working with state and local health officials in Illinois to investigate the Listeria outbreak that includes at least three people in Illinois. The three patients were all sickened by the same strain of Listeria, which means they were likely exposed to the same source of contamination.

During interviews with health officials, the patients mentioned eating headcheese before they became ill, so FSIS collected an unopened headcheese product sample, and the test results were positive for Listeria. Further testing, called whole genome sequencing, will determine if the product samples are contaminated with the same Listeria strain that was cultured from patients.

What is Listeria?

Listeria bacteria are found in nature, but grow well in the cool, damp environments of refrigerated food processing facilities. Because of this known risk, food manufacturers must take measures to prevent Listeria from growing in their facilities.

Symptoms of a Listeria infection can appear within 24 hours of eating contaminated food,  but may take up to 10 weeks (70 days) to develop. They include:

• Severe headache
• High fever
• Stiff neck
• Other muscle stiffness
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Pregnancy risks include miscarriage or stillbirth, even with mild symptoms.

Public Health Alert

Because the specific batch of headcheese associated with the illnesses is no longer for sale, FSIS issued a public health alert for the product, rather than requesting that Crawford Sausage issue a recall.

The health alert includes two products produced on January 20, 2026, and sold at retail deli counters in Illinois and Indiana.

• “DAISY BRAND Meat Products HEADCHEESE,” with a “USE BY” date of “MAR 26 2026,” various weights
• “DAISY BRAND Meat Products HEADCHEESE,” with a red sticker indicating “HOT” and a “USE BY” date of “MAR 26 2026,” various weights

The establishment number “EST. 21406” appears inside the USDA mark of inspection on the label.