These pork products are being recalled over possible listeria contamination

A subsidiary of Perdue Premium Meat Company is asking customers to avoid eating certain batches of its fully cooked pork products because of possible listeria contamination.

Michigan-based Alexander & Hornung is recalling 234,391 pounds of fully cooked ham and pepperoni products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Sunday.

"FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers' refrigerators or freezers," it said, urging people to throw the items away or return them to their place of purchase.

The recall applies to 17 products, from various kinds of smoked ham to bone-in ham steak to pepperoni. They were shipped to retail locations across the country and have sell-by dates ranging between December 2021 and May 2022.

The affected products have the establishment number "EST. M10125" inside the USDA mark of inspection. Here's the full list of labels.

"While there have been no illnesses or complaints associated with the products and there is no conclusive evidence that the products were contaminated at the time of shipment, the voluntary recall is being initiated out of an abundance of caution," Alexander & Hornung said in a statement.

The company had alerted FSIS to the problem after product sampling reported positive Listeria monocytogenes results, the agency said.

Consumption of food contaminated with the bacterium can cause listeriosis, a serious infectious that primarily affects older adults, pregnant people, newborns and people with weakened immune systems.

Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. FSIS says that people in higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months of eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell their health care provider.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET on weekdays.

This story originally appeared in the Morning Edition live blog.

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