Charcuterie Meat Salmonella Outbreak May Be Linked to Under Processing: FSIS

Federal health officials are continuing to warn about problems with recalled charcuterie meats, which have been linked to a multistate salmonella food poisoning outbreak, indicating that the widely distributed pre-cooked meats are likely sickening individuals because they were under processed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a charcuterie meat recall expansion on February 12, after officials identified a number of additional products that may also be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

Officials have been concerned over the salmonella food poisoning outbreak for several weeks, after testing identified the bacteria in multiple ready-to-eat meat products sold by Sam’s club.

According to a salmonella outbreak update issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 18, the recalled charcuterie meats have been linked to at least 47 salmonella food poisoning illnesses across 22 different states. The CDC indicates at least 10 illnesses were severe enough to require hospitalization.

Expanded Charcuterie Meat Products Recall

The FSIS announced a Busseto Foods charcuterie meat recall last month, after the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) conducted sample testing of an unopened, intact, charcuterie sampler package and confirmed it was positive for salmonella.

Further testing revealed the salmonella strain found in the unopened Busseto charcuterie meat sampler was related to the same strain that had sickened 24 people across 14 states, leading officials to determine the products were linked to the multistate salmonella food poisoning outbreak.

The recall impacted 18 oz. plastic tray packages of Busseto Foods Charcuterie Sampler Prosciutto, Sweet Sopressata, and Dry Coppa, with lot code L075330300, and “Best if Used by date” of April 27, 2024. The products were labeled with establishment number “EST. #47967” next to the lot and date codes, as well as “EST. 7543B” printed inside the USDA mark of inspection. They were sold in twin packs of 9 oz. sampler packages, affecting about 11,097 pounds of meat.

Fratelli Beretta USA, Inc. of New Jersey manufactured the recalled products and shipped them to Sam’s Club distribution centers in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Weeks after the recall announcement, the FSIS issued a public health alert on January 18, warning consumers that Fratelli Beretta brand Antipasto Gran charcuterie meat products may also be contaminated with salmonella. Those products were sold in Costco stores in 24 oz. trays of two, 12 oz. packages, and were also labeled with the same “EST. 7543B” and “EST. #47967″ establishment numbers.

Charcuterie Meat Under Processed

Officials conducted further sample testing and identified salmonella in additional unopened charcuterie meat packages. The FSIS found they all contained dry-cured pork shoulder meat known as Coppa, leading investigators to suspect the products were potentially under processed and could be the source of salmonella contamination.

As a result, the FSIS issued the expanded charcuterie meat recall to include additional products sold under several other brands that also contain Coppa, and may be undercooked.

The recall now includes an undetermined amount of charcuterie meat products containing Coppa that may not be properly cooked, which were sold in various sizes with different expiration dates and lot codes. The products are labeled with establishment numbers “EST. M47967 or M7543B” and were distributed to a number of retailers nationwide. They were sold under several brand names, including Beretta, Black Bear, Busseto, Culinary Tours, Dietz & Watson, Lidl, Publix, Salumi Artigianali, and ALDI.

Consumers may visit the recall announcement page to view the complete list of recalled products.

For more information on the recall, consumers can contact the Busseto Recall Hotline by phone at 866-552-4916, or Busseto Foods Public Relations representative, Marco Lastrico at 917-634-1685, or m.lastrico@barabinousa.com.

Consumers with food safety questions may contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline by phone at 888-674-6854, or email MPHotline@usda.gov.

The FSIS also urges consumers to report any problems they experience after eating meat, poultry, or egg products to the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.

Salmonella Food Poisoning Risks

Salmonella bacteria can cause serious or fatal infections, and is one of the most common foodborne pathogens. Salmonella food poisoning symptoms usually occur within six hours to six days after eating contaminated food, and can last between four and seven days.

Healthy individuals exposed to salmonella do not usually require medical treatment and may only experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. However, those with weakened immune systems, young children and older adults, are more likely to experience more severe symptoms, which can lead to serious or fatal complications.

In severe cases, the infection can travel into the bloodstream, and result in life-threatening health consequences, including infected aneurysms, endocarditis, or arthritis.