The problem was discovered during routine FSIS surveillance activities of imported products, and it was determined that the products were not presented for reinspection.

The products subject to recall bear Canadian establishment number “391” inside the Canadian mark of inspection. 

Recalled product:

FSIS is concerned that some products may be in consumers’, restaurants, and institutions’ freezers.

• 15-kg/33.07-lb. cases containing “Frozen Pork Front Hock” with case code 18019 and Cert. No. 251497 and best before dates between July 14-27, 2025.

As of the posting of this recall, there have been no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider.

These items were shipped to Hawaii and American Samoa distributors and exported to Palau.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. Restaurants and institutions are urged not to serve these products. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

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FSIS discovered the problem during routine surveillance activities of imported products and found that the products were not presented for reinspection.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ and restaurants’ refrigerators or freezers. 

These items were shipped to retail and restaurant locations in Minnesota.

Recalled products:

• 25-kg./55.12-lb. cardboard boxes of vacuum-packed packages containing Aurora brand “FROZEN PORK BELLY, SHEET RIBBED, SKIN ON” with production dates between 19/06/2023-26/06/2023 and shipping mark 308161 on the box.

The products subject to recall bear Brazilian establishment number “BRASIL INSPECIONADO 3548 S.I.F” inside the Brazilian mark of inspection.                         

As of the posting of this recall, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about a reaction should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. Restaurants are urged not to serve these products. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

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The Ministry of Health of Córdoba is now reporting 46 cases of trichinosis, which is up from the 13 infections the agency reported earlier this month.

Most of those ill are from Córdoba but five live in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita and four in Deán Funes. Patients have been treated in different healthcare centers.

The Ministry of Health told people to take care when eating or selling pork products, adding that symptoms can initially be confused with the flu or COVID-19. The agency also warned against the consumption of raw meats or homemade sausages that have not been inspected prior to processing.

Public health officials urged people to check the label on all purchased pork products for information including the brand, company name, establishment authorization number, storage conditions and date of manufacture and expiry.

Patient interviews confirmed the consumption of salami and chorizo but no brand has been identified.

Origin of the food could not be established and investigations are ongoing, said authorities.

Past outbreak and about Trichinella
In late 2021, Córdoba had almost 250 cases of trichinosis linked to eating pork products.

Investigations found a link to pork meat, sausages and salami from different businesses in Villa del Totoral. In some cases, this meat was resold to other vendors. The presence of Trichinella Spiralis larvae was confirmed in one test from seized products.

Trichinellosis, or trichinosis, is a disease transmitted by eating raw or undercooked pork contaminated with the parasite Trichinella, which is not visible to the naked eye.

Initial symptoms of infection in people are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, and abdominal discomfort. Headaches, fevers, chills, cough, swelling of the face and eyes, aching joints and muscle pains. Itchy skin, diarrhea or constipation may follow. Patients may have difficulty coordinating movements, and have heart and breathing problems.

Abdominal symptoms can occur one to two days after infection. Further symptoms usually start two to eight weeks after eating contaminated meat. Freezing, curing or salting, drying, smoking, or microwaving meat may not kill the organism. The best way to prevent trichinellosis is to cook meat to a temperature of 71 degrees C (160 degrees F).

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From July 7 to September 13, 222 confirmed cases have been reported in five regions of Spain: 214 patients in Andalusia, four in Aragon, two in Extremadura and one each in Castilla y Leon and Madrid.

Most Andalusian cases have been registered in Seville with 175 but 17 people are sick in Huelva, 11 in Cádiz, six in Málaga and five in Granada. This past Friday only 21 people remained in hospital.

The outbreak has been traced to a chilled roasted pork meat product made in Spain by Magrudis and sold under the brand name “La Mechá”. Usually, there are about 300 infections from Listeria in Spain every year.

A total of 66 probable and 80 suspected cases are under investigation in Aragón, Canary Islands, Castilla y León, Castilla La Mancha, Cataluña, Valencia, Extremadura, Madrid, and Melilla, according to Spanish authorities.

Potential international cases

WHO recommended against any travel or trade restrictions in relation to the outbreak. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is also monitoring the incident.

It was reported by Spanish authorities to the World Health Organization, via the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), on August 20. Three days later, a food safety alert by Spanish authorities advised consumers to avoid any product sold under the Magrudis brand and that a small amount of implicated chilled roasted pork was also sold non-branded by another company, Commercial Martínez León.

France notified a related case in a citizen of the United Kingdom with travel history to Andalusia. Spanish media reported infections in Germany but authorities in Spain said there are none from Germany included in the outbreak as yet.

Only three cases of listeriosis have been recorded with a date of consumption after August 17, but they all bought the product before the food alert. The maximum incubation period in the outbreak is 30 days but listeriosis can have an incubation period of up to 70 days.

Fifty-seven percent of those ill are female including 38 pregnant women and 24 percent are 65 years old or above. Three deaths have been reported in two people over 70 years old and one person over 90 years old who were ill with listeriosis at the time of death. Six women had miscarriages linked to the outbreak.

“Although the implicated products have been recalled, given the long incubation period of listeriosis (up to 70 days), the shelf life of the implicated products (three months), and the popularity of this brand of meat served in many restaurants, additional cases are expected in the coming weeks,” said WHO officials.

“Additionally, given the high number of tourists to Spain, and Andalusia, in particular during the summer months, international travelers may have been exposed while the product was in the market; although the risk for any international disease spread is low given that the products have been recalled and have not been exported outside of Spain.”

WGS analysis of outbreak strain

Authorities in Andalusia suspended production of the implicated pork at Magrudis and ordered the withdrawal of all batches from the market. The company recalled all products manufactured since May 1, 2019.

During investigations at the plant by authorities in Spain, Listeria monocytogenes was isolated in other products commercialized under the same brand. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) of isolates at the Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Spain revealed that human and food strains share the same sequence. The strain has been characterized as serovar IVb, sequence type 388, clonal complex 388 and core genome-multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) CT8466.

In other developments, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has informed a sample of chilled roasted pork meat under the brand “Sabores de Paterna” tested positive for Listeria and the alert was later extended to include all items produced by Sabores de Paterna S.C.A. Products were mainly distributed in Andalucía but no infections associated with the alert have been confirmed.

AESAN also alerted the public about Listeria in products of the “La Montanera Del Sur” brand, which is produced by Incarybe SL, based in Benaoján (Málaga). As a precaution, Andalusian authorities ordered the withdrawal of all products made by the company but no illnesses have been recorded.

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The outbreak has been traced to contaminated chilled pork products under the brand “La Mechá” made by Magrudis, based in Seville. The potential infection is in a man from England who ate the product in Seville in mid-August. He was treated at a hospital in France before returning to the United Kingdom.

A Public Health England spokeswoman told Food Safety News the agency does not disclose patient details so she was not able to provide information on the age of the man or where in England he lives.

Almost 200 ill and nearly 80 hospitalized
A total of 193 cases have been confirmed in the outbreak. Most are in Seville with 158, but 10 infections have been found in Cádiz, four in Granada and Málaga and 17 in Huelva.

In Aragón there is one confirmed and six probable infections, Asturias has six probable cases in the same family including a pregnant woman. There are nine probable and suspected cases under investigation in Castilla-La Mancha and one probable infection with 16 suspected in Castilla y León. Ten people from Madrid, two in Melilla and five from Valencia are suspected of being part of the outbreak. Extremadura has reported 22 cases with one confirmed and 21 being investigated.

A 90-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man who had terminal cancer have died due to listeriosis. FACUA-Consumers in Action, a consumer group, is reporting two women have lost their babies as part of the outbreak.

The number of hospitalized patients is 77, of which 28 are pregnant women and three people are in the intensive care unit.

Affected product list
Most of the product was distributed in Andalusia, according to the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN). Around 225 kilograms was sent to Madrid and redistributed in small quantities to Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Badajoz and Adeje (Tenerife).

Listeria was isolated in the product on Aug. 14 and following a visit by Andalusian authorities to the company’s factory, all food produced since May 1 was withdrawn and production suspended.

The alert has also been extended to other products made by the firm that were distributed mostly to Andalusia and in smaller quantities to Madrid, Catalonia and Extremadura. These items include 250-gram and 465-gram pack sizes of ‘Crema de carne mechada, Manteca colorá, Pringá estilo casero, Zurrapa de hígado, Zurrapa lomo blanca and Zurrapa lomo roja’.

It also covers products distributed by the firm Comercial Martínez León, which sells meat manufactured by Magrudis.

ECDC and INFOSAN on Listeria plus 2 other outbreaks
Normally there are about 300 infections from Listeria in Spain every year. The country has also been hit by a suspected foodborne botulism outbreak caused by canned tuna in sunflower oil or grated carrots and an outbreak of norovirus in frozen seaweed salad from China, via Germany. The Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare (MSCBS) has yet to respond to a request for comment.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported it is monitoring the Listeria incident and was not aware of any other international cases at this stage.

“Given the incubation period of listeriosis, the long expiration date of the implicated product and its consumption and distribution, the appearance of new cases in the following weeks seems probable despite the product recall.

“Additionally, due to the high numbers of tourists to Andalusia and the other regions where the product was distributed, the identification of additional cases linked to this outbreak in other countries cannot be ruled out.”

The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) is also involved due to the outbreak’s scale.

“Early last week we shared information about the outbreak with INFOSAN members through the INFOSAN community website. At that time we indicated that the Listeria monocytogenes isolates from outbreak cases and implicated food were in the process of being sequenced and that we would share the results of the whole genome sequencing with INFOSAN members as soon as they are available,” said Carmen Savelli, technical officer at the INFOSAN Secretariat, department of Food Safety and Zoonoses at the World Health Organization.

This information would aid confirmation of travel-related cases identified outside Spain.

“In this case, even though the recalled products are produced in Spain and have reportedly not been exported, the INFOSAN secretariat has been included on the alert given the scale of the outbreak in Spain and to ensure we’re able to keep other inquiring INFOSAN members up to date with the latest information provided by the Spanish authorities. We have requested that authorities report such cases to the INFOSAN secretariat. No international cases have been reported to us at this time,” added Savelli.

Listeria infection information for consumers
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still cause serious and sometimes life-threatening infections. Anyone who has eaten any of the implicated product and developed symptoms of Listeria infection should seek medical treatment and tell their doctors about the possible Listeria exposure.

Also, anyone who has eaten any of the recalled product should monitor themselves for symptoms during the coming weeks because it can take up to 70 days after exposure to Listeria for symptoms of listeriosis to develop. 

Symptoms of Listeria infection can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness. Specific laboratory tests are required to diagnose Listeria infections, which can mimic other illnesses. 

Pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and people such as cancer patients who have weakened immune systems are particularly at risk of serious illnesses, life-threatening infections and other complications. Although infected pregnant women may experience only mild, flu-like symptoms, their infections can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth.

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The agency reported a small increase in clinical notifications during the summer and autumn periods in 2018.

Health Protection Surveillance Center (HPSC) officials reminded consumers of the risk associated with undercooked meat, particularly when barbecuing. Meat cooked on a grill is more likely to char on the outside, while remaining undercooked in the middle.

FSAI advice

Hepatitis E infection is a disease of the liver caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV). Infections have been linked to consumption of raw or undercooked pork or game meat but can also occur through drinking HEV contaminated water or eating contaminated shellfish.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) recommends cooking pork and pork products such as sausages to a minimum temperature of 75 degrees Celsius at the center of the thickest part.

The agency recommends use of a meat thermometer to check temperature of cooked meat and meat products. Hand washing and hygiene precautions in the kitchen are also essential to prevent foodborne illness through handling of raw meat or cross contamination of cooked food by raw items, utensils and food contact surfaces

The average time between exposure to the hepatitis E virus and infection is 40 days with a range of 21 to 56 days. Half of infected people do not develop symptoms but can still spread the virus to other people.

Symptoms may include yellowing of the skin and eyes, dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain and can be more severe in pregnant women and people with weak immune systems.

Role of food

Hepatitis E became a notifiable disease in Ireland at the end of 2015. There were 218 notifications to HPSC between 2016 and 2018. A total of 66 percent were clinical cases, detected because they had clinical symptoms, or liver function test results, consistent with viral hepatitis while the other 34 percent were blood donors.

There were 54 notifications of hepatitis E in 2017 compared to 90 in 2016. Food histories were completed for 23 cases of HEV.

All but one had eaten one or more pork products in the nine weeks before illness or diagnosis. The one case who had not consumed pork was likely infected outside Ireland. The most commonly eaten pork items were bacon at 91 percent, pork sausages at 87 percent, pork meat at 74 percent, and sliced ham.

In 2017, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found consumption of raw or undercooked pork meat and liver was the top cause of hepatitis E infection in the EU.

According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the number of confirmed HEV cases has skyrocketed from 514 in 2005 to 5,617 cases in 2015, representing a 10-fold increase. A total of 28 deaths were reported from five countries between 2005 and 2015.

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The fully cooked, smoked venison sausage contains beef, pork, and other nonmeat products items. The recalled sausage products were produced between May 3, 2017, and March 22, 2019. The following products are subject to recall:

• 2.5-lb. plastic wrapped bags containing frozen sausage links of “VENISON Smoked
  Sausage – FULLY COOKED – KEEP REFRIGERATED” with the case code “35710” or “35712” represented on the label.

The recalled products bear the establishment number “EST. 2216” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to distributors and retailers in the state of Texas.

The problem was discovered during routine labeling verification by FSIS on April 10, 2019. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

There is concern from the FSIS that some product may be in consumers’ and retailers’ freezers; “Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website.

The pork product label incorrectly identified it as cooked product. In addition, the products may contain soy, a known allergen, and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) which are not declared on the finished product label.

The fresh, sliced ham items were produced and packaged on various dates from April 18, 2017 to June 13, 2017. The products have a 90-day shelf life. The following product is subject to recall:

• 8-oz. sealed packages containing six slices of “Jamon Vicky Lasqueado Smoked Flavor Added Sliced Cooked Ham & Water Product.”

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 45659” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Florida.

The mistake was discovered on June 13, 2017 during routine label review activities by FSIS personnel.

No confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products have occurred.  Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

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