Federal Authorities Issue Top-Level Recall for Italian Pork Jowl Over Potential Listeria Contamination

Federal food safety authorities have issued their most severe category of recall for imported Italian pork jowl distributed to restaurants, distributors, and retail outlets across eight states, following a positive laboratory detection of Listeria monocytogenes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the alert, which encompasses approximately 1,513 pounds of dry-cured pork.

Prime Line Distributors, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Ferrarini USA, based in Hoboken, New Jersey, are recalling the affected items. FSIS classified the action as Class I, a designation reserved for circumstances where consuming the product carries a reasonable probability of serious illness or death. No illnesses have been linked to the product thus far.

For households, the practical difficulty is that much of this guanciale never reached consumers in labeled packaging. It functions as a restaurant ingredient, sold in whole vacuum-sealed portions that kitchens cut down over weeks. An individual who ordered carbonara or amatriciana in an affected state during August would have no wrapper to check and no realistic way to identify exposure.

The Lot Number and Label Details to Verify

The recalled products are identified by LOT 263311US and a best-if-used-by date of 05.16.27. All bear establishment number IT 1937 L CE within the Italian mark of inspection, printed on either the package or the case label. FSIS has published the affected product labels under the recall numbers 019-2026 and 020-2026.

The recall encompasses various-weight cardboard cases containing two individually vacuum-packed pieces branded under Prime Line Distributors, individually vacuum-packed pieces sold separately, and packages bearing the Ferrarini brand name.

The product was manufactured at Est. 1937L Bome SRL in Italy on May 21, 2026, and imported into the United States on various dates throughout July 2026. FSIS indicated that the contamination was discovered during routine import reinspection testing, the checkpoint applied to meat arriving from abroad, rather than through consumer illness reports.

Distribution and Handling Details

Distribution is split between the two firms. Prime Line Distributors items were sent to food service and retail locations in Florida. Ferrarini USA items were distributed to distributors and food service locations in California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Texas.

This distribution footprint reaches several of the largest restaurant markets in the nation. FSIS noted its concern that the product may still be sitting in refrigerators and freezers at food service and retail locations, advising those businesses to refrain from serving or selling it.

The agency stated in its notice that there have been “no confirmed reports of illness due to consumption of these products.” This is an important qualifier, indicating that the action is preventive, triggered by a laboratory result, rather than a response to a confirmed outbreak.

There is also a notable compliance pattern. This represents Ferrarini USA’s second FSIS recall in roughly sixteen months. In May 2025, the firm, then based in Secaucus, New Jersey, recalled approximately 70 pounds of sliced Prosciutto di Parma that had never been presented for import reinspection, a separate and distinct violation.

Groups at Elevated Risk from Listeria

Listeria does not affect everyone equally, and stating this is not a source of reassurance. Most healthy adults who consume contaminated food experience nothing serious. The CDC identifies individuals at increased risk as pregnant women, adults aged 65 and older, newborns, and those with weakened immune systems, including individuals undergoing chemotherapy or taking immunosuppressive drugs.

During pregnancy, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection in a newborn, even when the pregnant person feels only mildly unwell. The CDC estimates that one in four pregnant women who contract the illness lose the pregnancy or the baby shortly after birth. The disparity between how sick the adult feels and the extent of harm the infection can cause is what makes this organism so dangerous.

Symptoms in non-pregnant individuals can include fever, muscle aches, and fatigue, and in more invasive cases, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions. Onset is unpredictable; illness can begin within days of exposure or as long as several weeks later, which is why routine testing catches problems that symptom reports miss.

Practical Measures for Diners, Kitchens, and Households

Restaurants, delis, and distributors in the eight listed states should check inventory for the lot code and cease serving or selling matching products. Households that purchased whole guanciale from a specialty counter should look for the lot number and best-by date rather than relying solely on the brand name.

Guanciale is normally rendered in a hot pan, and thorough cooking to a safe internal temperature destroys Listeria. The risk concentrates in preparations where cured pork is served sliced and uncooked, such as on a charcuterie board, or where a contaminated piece cross-contaminates a cutting board, knife, or surface used for ready-to-eat food.

Individuals who are pregnant, immunocompromised, or over the age of 65 who consumed cured Italian pork in the affected states during July or August and now feel feverish should contact a clinician and mention the possible exposure. Listeriosis is treatable with antibiotics, and early treatment is crucial for these groups. Anyone experiencing a stiff neck, confusion, or loss of balance should seek urgent medical evaluation. This article provides general information and is not a diagnosis.

Restaurant distribution lists can change as traceback continues, so the state list may expand. FSIS recall notices are periodically revised when investigators identify additional consignees, and an active recall remains open to amendment. MedicalDaily will monitor the agency for any revisions to the affected products, lot codes, or distribution states.

Key Questions Answered

What exactly was recalled? Approximately 1,513 pounds of imported ready-to-eat dry-cured pork jowl, sold as guanciale, under the Prime Line Distributors and Ferrarini brand names.

Which lot code identifies the product? LOT 263311US with a best-if-used-by date of 05.16.27, bearing establishment number IT 1937 L CE inside the Italian mark of inspection.

Which states received the product? California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. Prime Line items were distributed exclusively to Florida.

Has anyone gotten sick? No. FSIS reported no confirmed illnesses. The issue was identified through routine import reinspection testing, not through illness reports.

Why is this classified as the most serious recall type? A Class I classification means federal officials judge there is a reasonable probability that consuming the product could cause serious health consequences or death.

Who faces the greatest danger from Listeria? Individuals who are pregnant, adults aged 65 and older, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults do not become seriously ill.

Does cooking the product make it safe? Thorough cooking to a safe internal temperature destroys Listeria. The risk lies in eating cured pork uncooked or allowing it to contaminate ready-to-eat foods.

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