The Biggest Ham Recalls In US History

Most Americans can't resist a lunchtime sandwich. In fact, 2024 research from media platform Talker suggests that, on average, people in the U.S. eat six sandwiches a week. While plenty will opt for a grilled cheese or a chicken filling, ham is undeniably popular — the research also found that more than a quarter of Americans say ham is their sandwich filling of choice. That puts it higher up on the top sandwich fillings list than other options like tuna, eggs, peanut butter and jelly, and meatballs. Other ways people enjoy eating ham is in salads, for example, or roasted, or baked with vegetables (particularly at Easter).

Ham might be a daily staple for households across the U.S., but eating it isn't without risks. Like many foods, ham can harbor dangerous bacteria, like salmonella and listeria. If ingested, both strains may lead to unpleasant and even life-threatening illnesses. And that's not all. Sometimes, ham is not labelled correctly, which means that allergens aren't listed on the packaging. Contaminants like rubber and plastic have also found their way into ham products.

But knowledge is power. If you're concerned about the safety of ham, or any other food item in your kitchen, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regularly issues recalls of products that may be harmful to consumer's health. Below, you'll find examples of some of the biggest recalls in ham history over the years, from dry-cured prosciutto to the deli ham you'll find at the counter in your local grocery store.

In April 2024, ConSup North America, a food and beverage company based in New Jersey, recalled more than 85,000 pounds of prosciutto ham due to a lack of inspection. The dry-cured ham was produced in Germany, but had entered the U.S. market without being appropriately inspected by the FSIS. At the time of the recall, the prosciutto had already been sent to stores across the country.

The FSIS is responsible for keeping the U.S. food system safe. Sometimes, meat can carry diseases and bacteria, like E.coli and Salmonella. In the past, prosciutto ham products have been recalled due to Listeria concerns, for example. If consumed, this bacteria can lead to a dangerous infection called listeriosis. So, in a bid to reduce the risk to consumers, the FSIS inspects all meat products that enter the country to ensure that producers have complied with hygiene and safety regulations.

At the time of ConSup's recall, there were no reports of health problems associated with consuming the un-inspected imported prosciutto ham. However, to be on the safe side, the FSIS still urged that any customers who had already purchased the products should throw them away or return them to the store they bought them from.

As mentioned above, like many different foods, ham products can carry harmful bacteria like listeria. If a person eats listeria-contaminated ham, they are at risk of developing listeriosis, a foodborne illness with flu-like symptoms like fever, chills, vomiting, confusion, diarrhea, muscle aches, and even convulsions. For some people, including the elderly or pregnant people, listeriosis can be extremely serious. In fact, every year, around 260 people die from listeriosis in the U.S. (via the CDC).

This is why, in 2021, Michigan company Alexander & Hornung — a processing plant for the meat giant Perdue Farms — had to recall more than 2.3 million pounds of ham and pepperoni from the U.S. market. Tests conducted by the FSIS had discovered listeria in the processing plant. However, luckily, there were no reports of customers getting ill from the bacteria. Again, anyone who had already purchased the products was urged to dispose of them immediately.

Alexander & Hornung — which is no longer in operation after it was closed down by Perdue Farms in 2023 — was fortunate to come out of the recall without any instances of illness, but that isn't always true in listeria-driven recalls. Several decades earlier, one of the biggest meat recalls in history occurred when Bil Mar Foods recalled 35 million pounds of deli meat and hot dogs after customers started to get sick. The contaminated products hospitalized many people and led to seven deaths.

Unfortunately, listeria isn't the only type of bacteria that can affect ham products. Salmonella is often associated with poultry products, but it can also linger in many other foods, including pork. In 2021, Olymel, a Canadian brand, recalled more than 6,800 pounds from distributors in California after FSIS testing in its facility found traces of salmonella. Luckily, there were no reports of illnesses associated with Olymel's ham products. However, the FSIS urged anyone who was concerned about the bacteria affecting them to contact their healthcare provider.

If consumed, ham products contaminated with salmonella may cause salmonellosis. Similar to listeriosis, it can cause fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. Salmonellosis is far more common than listeriosis; in the U.S. alone, research suggests that around 1.35 million Americans are infected with salmonella every year (via the FDA). Around 26,500 of those people will end up in the hospital, and around 420 people will die from the infection. As with most foodborne infections, salmonellosis presents the highest risk to the most vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

This isn't the only time Olymel has been caught up in a product recall, though. In 2025, the Canadian government issued a recall of the company's chicken nuggets due to the presence of bone fragments. Unlike salmonella bacteria, these fragments didn't present a disease risk, but rather a choking hazard or a risk of internal injuries.

Bacteria isn't the only contaminant that can worm its way into the food system. Often, products are recalled from the market because they are contaminated with foreign objects. Usually, these end up in the food via the production process — due to machinery breaks or packaging tears, for example. Of all the foreign objects that end up in food, plastic is the most common. In 2019, New York-based Sahlen Packing Company experienced the issue firsthand when it was forced to issue a recall for more than 13,200 pounds of black forest ham after a customer complained they had found plastic inside their product.

At the time of the recall, the deli ham had already been sent to retailers in six states: Pennsylvania, Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Fortunately, nobody was hurt by the contamination. Plastic is a choking risk, but if swallowed, it can also cause internal cuts or injuries, depending on how hard and sharp it is. Again, to be on the safe side, the FSIS urged all customers who had purchased the ham products produced by Sahlen Packing Company not to consume them.

In 2018, listeria was the cause of another recall, but this time, it was flagged to authorities due to customer sickness. Four people were reportedly sick with listeriosis, one of whom died as a result of the illness. The ham they had consumed was traced back to a North Carolina company, Johnston County Hams. This resulted in the meat processor recalling nearly 90,000 pounds of deli ham from the U.S. market. At the time of the recall, the products had already been sent not just to distributors in North Carolina, but also Maryland, New York, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Sometimes it can take up to three months after consuming an infected product for listeriosis symptoms to appear. As explained previously, most listeriosis deaths occur in vulnerable people, like the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. The disease presents a particularly serious risk to pregnant people, too. While expectant mothers may not always feel flu-like symptoms, consuming the bacteria may still lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, and life-threatening infections in newborn babies.

Many different foods can harbor listeria, but deli meats, like ham, are among the worst offenders. In 2024, a Boar's Head deli meat listeria outbreak got worse than we feared, leading to nearly 60 hospitalizations and nine deaths. As a result, the company was forced to recall more than 7 million pounds of deli meat from the market.

Every year, more than 100 million people in the U.S. have at least one allergy. For some, this is due to pollen in the air, but for many, the source of their allergies is food. This is why all food products on the market must be appropriately labeled and list the allergens that they contain. When they don't, they must be recalled. That's what happened in 2017, when Maryland company Hahn Brothers sent ham products to New Jersey that did not list malted barley on the packaging. The mistake, which was spotted by a customer, resulted in a recall of more than 115,000 pounds of black forest ham.

Barley is not a common allergen, but it does provoke adverse reactions in some people. Like all food allergies, it can cause uncomfortable symptoms, like hives and itching. For some people with barley allergies, consuming it may even lead to anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening allergic reaction. It's not just people with allergies who need to be aware of barley, either. People with celiac disease should also avoid the grain because it contains gluten. Celiac disease is not an allergy, but an autoimmune condition caused by gluten consumption. For celiac sufferers, consuming anything with gluten can lead to symptoms like abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, bloating, and numbness.

In 2017, listeria struck again. This time, the potentially harmful bacteria caused Tennessee company Fineberg Packing Co. to issue a recall for more than 8,800 pounds of ham. At the time of the recall, the products had already been shipped to distributors in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee, but fortunately, there were no reports of listeriosis associated with the products. This time, the bacteria was not discovered due to consumer illness, but following FSIS tests. Again, the FSIS urged that any customer who had already bought the affected ham to throw it away or return it to the store for a refund.

Listeria causes many problems in the food industry, and that's largely because it is an incredibly resilient strain of bacteria. It can survive in hot and cold temperatures, for example, and it's not affected by acid or salt. That said, cooking can kill listeria. However, deli meats like ham are usually not cooked after purchase, but eaten straight out of the packet in a cold meal like a sandwich or a salad. This is an issue if the listeria contamination took place after the deli meat was cooked in the factory, as it would need to be cooked again to kill the bacteria.

Plastic isn't the only foreign object that can find its way into ham products. In 2016, Washington company Boundary Blvd had to recall more than 8,600 pounds of black forest ham after customers found a rubber-like material embedded inside the product. Again, this was likely the result of broken machinery in the processing plant. Fortunately, there were no reports of any injuries or health issues, like choking, associated with the contamination.

Boundary Blvd is not the only company to have to issue a recall due to stray pieces of rubber. In 2020, Pilgrim's Pride recalled almost 60,000 pounds of chicken nuggets, for example, which was one of the biggest chicken nugget recalls in history. Again, the issue was brought to light by a consumer, who found rubber inside the product. In a particularly strange international food recall in 2023, cans of beans were pulled off the shelves in the U.K. after rubber balls were discovered inside. The manufacturer, Princes Group, did not offer any explanation as to how the rubber balls found their way into the beans.

Soy allergies impact around 0.4% of American children, so again, it's important that all food suppliers declare the allergen on their packaging. In 2015, however, a labeling error by Arkansas company Morrilton Packing meant that boneless ham products were sent to a distributor in Arkansas without soy being appropriately declared. As a result, the company had to issue a recall for more than 12,000 pounds of the products.

Soy can lead to unpleasant reactions in people with allergies, including mouth tingles, dizziness, itching, wheezing, and diarrhea. For some, it could lead to serious anaphylaxis. Luckily, there were no allergic reactions reported as a result of this particularly packaging error.

Morrilton Packing is far from alone in making this mistake; many different companies have had to issue recalls due to undeclared soy. In 2023, for example, more than 7,000 bags of Nacho Cheese Doritos were recalled due to undeclared wheat and soy. In the same year, Lily's Sweets recalled more than 18,800 cases of peppermint baking chips as they also contained soy that was not declared on the label due to a packaging mix-up.

In 2014, plastic contamination was the cause of another ham recall. This time, Pennsylvania company Emils & Sons had to recall nearly 6,000 pounds of deli ham after an employee at a Wegmans deli counter sliced it and found a piece of plastic inside. An investigation revealed that the plastic likely found its way into the product via a broken interlocker belt in the processing factory. Fortunately, there were no injuries associated with the broken equipment, which could have caused internal cuts or presented a choking hazard.

The recall was ultimately given a Class II status by the FSIS, which means that the possibility of someone experiencing an adverse reaction from eating the ham was low. Class I recalls are more serious and mean that the FSIS believes there is a higher chance that someone could experience a health problem or even die as a result of eating the recalled product. Factors that are taken into consideration when issuing the recall status include things like how easy it is to identify the product and how much is likely to be left in the marketplace.

Also in 2014, Illinois company Gusto Packing recalled more than 67,000 pounds of spiral ham from the market. Once again, the cause was listeria contamination. This time, however, the company had been aware of the presence of the bacteria in its products. It attempted to keep them from being shipped to distributors, but due to a mix-up, they were sent out to more wholesalers in Illinois, as well as some in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Canada. Luckily, there were no reports of illness associated with the error. 

Listeria, which has cropped up multiple times on this list, is one of the most harmful strains of bacteria to enter the food system. Listeriosis has a mortality rate of up to 30 percent, which is very high. Most people who develop the condition will need some form of medical intervention. In fact, research suggests that of the 1,600 people who get listeriosis every year (most of them elderly or pregnant), 1,500 will need to go to hospital (via the FDA). Many will end up in intensive care.

The best way to avoid listeria infection is to not eat unheated deli meats, like ham, as well as hot dogs, refrigerated smoked fish, cheese made with unpasteurized milk, and meat spreads. On top of this, foods like cut melon should be eaten fresh (not left out for more than two hours) and sprouts should always be cooked thoroughly.