RECALL ALERT: Imported Italian Pork Recalled After Listeria Detected

September 8, 2026 | Maria Approved It™ Consumer Alert

More than 1,500 pounds of imported Italian pork are being recalled after a sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes during routine USDA import testing.

Prime Line Distributors, Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Ferrarini USA, Inc., of Hoboken, New Jersey, are recalling approximately 1,513 pounds of ready-to-eat pork guanciale, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The recall was announced September 6, 2026.

What exactly is being recalled?

The product is guanciale, a traditional Italian dry-cured pork product made from pork jowl or cheek.

Although it may sometimes be described in news coverage alongside pork belly because the products can be used similarly in cooking, guanciale is not conventional pork belly or bacon.

The affected meat was produced by Bome SRL in Italy on May 21, 2026, then imported into the United States on various dates during July.

Consumers and food businesses should look for:

Lot number: 263311USBest if used by: 05.16.27Establishment number: IT 1937 L CE

Affected packages may be labeled Prime Line Distributors, Inc. Guanciale Pork Jowl Product of Italy, Guanciale Pork Jowl Product of Italy, DOK Guanciale, or Ferrarini Guanciale Dry-Cured Pork Jowl.

Where was it distributed?

Prime Line Distributors' affected products were shipped to food-service and retail locations in Florida.

Ferrarini USA's affected products were shipped to distributors and food-service locations in California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Texas.

This distinction matters. Some of this product went into the food-service supply chain, meaning consumers may encounter guanciale in a prepared restaurant dish rather than in its original retail package.

USDA says it will post retail distribution information when it becomes available.

How was the problem discovered?

According to FSIS, the problem was detected during routine import reinspection testing when a product sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

As of the recall announcement, there were no confirmed reports of illness associated with these products.

Why Listeria matters

Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a potentially serious infection. Older adults, pregnant people and their newborns, and people with weakened immune systems are among those at greater risk of severe illness.

Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms. More serious infections may involve headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance or convulsions.

Because this guanciale is sold as a ready-to-eat cured product, USDA is concerned that affected meat could remain in restaurant, retail or household refrigerators and freezers.

What consumers should do

Do not eat recalled product.

If you have guanciale at home, check the package carefully for lot 263311US, the May 16, 2027 best-if-used-by date, and establishment number IT 1937 L CE.

Affected product should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase.

If you recently ate guanciale at a restaurant in one of the affected states, this recall does not mean that every restaurant serving guanciale received recalled meat. At this time, consumers should avoid assuming a particular restaurant or retailer was involved unless USDA or the business confirms it.

Maria Approved It™ will continue watching this recall.

The next piece of information we want to see is the distribution list identifying individual retailers or other locations that received the recalled product.

As always: check the product, check the lot number, and follow the evidence rather than the headline.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, recall announcement issued September 6, 2026.