Pretty much any food has the capacity to be recalled for one reason or another, but for some reason, deli meat is especially susceptible to recalls. You can use deli meat for a lot of things , but these ready-to-eat slices are particularly prone to contamination, with bacteria like Listeria and Salmonella potentially getting into them through infected animal tissue or milk, or through improper handling or storage. This susceptibility, combined with their mass-produced nature, has led to some pretty big recalls of deli meats throughout the years, with millions of pounds of products having to be tracked down by food producers.
Sadly, some of these recalls have not happened quickly enough to prevent illness or death. Several recalls throughout history have been accompanied by wide scale sickness, with events like the 2008 Canadian Listeriosis outbreak resulting in multiple people losing their lives. Other recalls have been accompanied by legal action due to the grave consequences that they led to.
Thankfully, not all deli meat recalls have been due to bacterial contamination — but that doesn't mean that they were any less risky. Ready to take a deep dive into food safety history? Let's take a look at some of the worst deli meat recalls ever. Just make sure you're not munching on a ham sandwich while you're reading this one, folks.
1. In 2024, a Listeria outbreak prompted a 7 million-pound recall Boar's Head is one of the most prominent deli meat producers in the country. In 20.
