Prime Line Distributors Recalls 1,513 Pounds of Imported Guanciale Across Eight States Over Listeria Risk

The critical step in preventing a foodborne illness outbreak occurs the moment a consumer or restaurant worker checks the establishment number inside the USDA mark of inspection. That 4-digit code is the only definitive way to identify the 1,513 pounds of imported ready-to-eat pork guanciale recalled this week by Hoboken-based Prime Line Distributors and Ferrarini USA. Because the product is often sliced at deli counters or incorporated into restaurant dishes, the original packaging—and the "EST. 4800" stamp it carries—is the primary defense against potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.[1][2]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the Class I recall after routine product testing by the agency returned positive results for the bacteria. The affected pork jowl products were shipped to retail locations and restaurants across 8 states, prompting the highest level of warning from federal regulators on September 1, 2026, with expanded notices continuing through September 7.[2][3][4]

"This is a Class I recall, which means there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death," the USDA stated in its official notice. The agency specifically urged restaurants and institutions not to serve the guanciale, instructing them to throw the products away or return them to the place of purchase immediately.[2][3]

For shoppers and diners, the risk lies in the nature of the product. Guanciale is a cured meat frequently used in traditional Italian pasta dishes like carbonara and amatriciana, but it is also sold ready-to-eat on charcuterie boards. Listeria can survive and even grow at standard refrigerator temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius), meaning that simply storing the meat properly does not eliminate the hazard.[1][5]

Listeriosis, the infection caused by the bacteria, presents a severe threat to specific demographics. While healthy individuals may only experience short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, the pathogen can cause fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems.[1][4]

The risk is particularly acute for pregnant women. The FSIS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that a Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infections of the newborn. Symptoms can take up to 2 months to appear after consuming contaminated food, complicating efforts to trace the source of an infection.[2][3]

On the distribution side, Prime Line Distributors and Ferrarini USA are working with federal inspectors to ensure the product is removed from commerce. The recall affects items shipped to distributors in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Retailers in these 8 states have been instructed to sanitize any slicers, display cases, or surfaces that came into contact with the recalled pork.[4][5]

The FSIS will conduct effectiveness checks over the coming weeks to verify that the recalling firms have notified their customers and that the guanciale is no longer available to consumers. Until the agency publishes its final distribution list detailing the specific stores that received the shipments, the responsibility rests with individual buyers and kitchen managers to verify the establishment number on any recently purchased Italian pork jowl.[2][3]