A massive recall of sausages and deli items from the popular Boar’s Head brand is affecting the supply of meat products for Hampton Roads businesses.
Perfectly Frank owner Tarah Morris received a call Tuesday telling her to stop serving Boar’s Head hot dogs and sausages at her Norfolk restaurant near Old Dominion University.
“We’re a hot dog joint,” Morris said. “Now, we don’t have hot dogs, so it kind of stinks.”
The initial recall of more than 200,000 pounds of Boar’s Head products was expanded to 7 million pounds of products manufactured between May 10 and July 29 under the Boar’s Head and Old Country brands due to listeria concerns, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
Thankfully, most Perfectly Frank customers have been very understanding, Morris said, and the restaurant is still selling items such as cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and salads.
“We haven’t seen a dip in sales yet, but it’s only been a couple days, so it’s kind of hard to judge,” Morris said.
She added that the summer traditionally is the restaurant’s slow season, since ODU students and workers are out for summer break. Morris did not know when her supplier would be able to restock the affected products.
Pittie Dog Grill, a hot dog restaurant in Norfolk’s Riverview neighborhood, doesn’t use Boar’s Head meat, but co-owner Larry Sauger said vendor Sysco was out of hot dogs when he tried to restock because of additional demand due to the recall. Still, he said he did not anticipate a shortage at his business.
“I have two to three weeks supply in,” Sauger said.
The listeria originally was linked to a liverwurst sample collected by health officials in Maryland, according to the AP. The recall is tied to a listeria outbreak that has killed two people and sickened nearly three dozen in 13 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to Boar’s Head, its affected products came from the company’s Jarratt facility — about 80 driving miles west of Norfolk.
Listeria can cause the severe illness invasive listeriosis, with symptoms including fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, according to the CDC. It is treated with antibiotics.
Consumers who purchased any of the 71 recalled products should not eat them, the company said. They should either throw them out or return them to the store for a full refund.
Morris hoped the outbreak would not cause consumers to turn away from Boar’s Head products, noting that foodborne illnesses are everywhere. About 1,600 people get listeria poisoning every year, according to the CDC.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
