Charcuterie Meats Sold at Retailers Nationwide Recalled Due to Salmonella

Approximately 862,000 pounds of uncured Italian meats from Fratelli Beretta USA are being pulled from store shelves because they may be contaminated with Salmonella Infantis and/or Salmonella Typhimurium.

Specifically, the recall pertains to 24-ounce trays containing two 12-ounce packages of Fratelli Beretta Uncured Antipasto Prosciutto, Soppressata, Milano Salami & Coppa, with best-by dates of Aug. 27 2021, through Feb. 11 2022, and the UPC code 073541305316. The product features the establishment number 7543B printed on the packaging next to the best-by date. The charcuterie trays were produced Feb. 28 through Aug. 15.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Fratelli Beretta brand Italian-style meats has been linked to a multistate outbreak of 36 Salmonella Typhimurium and Infantis illnesses in 17 states, which has led to the hospitalization of 12 people. After traceback investigation, the agency confirmed that some of the ill people had eaten the charcuterie meats before they got sick. FSIS is continuing to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine if additional products are linked to illness.

Mount Olive, N.J.-based Fratelli Beretta notified Costco members on Aug. 27 of the recall in a letter, which Costco posted to its website. In the letter, Fratelli Beretta President Simone Bocchini said that the recall was issued out of an “abundance of caution for consumers' safety, due to possible salmonella exposure."

Unfortunately, the ready-to-eat Italian meats were sold to retailers nationwide, so other grocery chains may have also sold the popular charcuterie product.

FSIS is instructing consumers to throw away these products or return them to the place of purchase. The CDC is advising businesses to wash and sanitize containers and surfaces that may have come in contact with the Italian meats.

Eating food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within six hours to six days after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts four to seven days. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness.

Specialty food like charcuterie is likely to show up in shoppers' grocery carts as the holidays approach. If last year’s viral social media posts about charcuterie “houses” (akin to gingerbread houses) are any harbinger, trendy charcuterie offerings will ring up sales for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco operates 809 warehouses worldwide. The company, which is No. 4 on Progressive Grocer’s 2021 PG 100 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, also has e-commerce sites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea and Taiwan.