Vernon Foods recalls ‘ready to eat’ sausages, hog head cheese

Just because the label on the meat product reads “Ready to Eat,” that doesn’t mean you should.

So says the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s Office of Animal Health and Food Safety. The company issued a voluntary recall Saturday of certain, “ready to eat” products made by Vernon Foods LLC of Prairieville.

Commissioner Mike Strain warned Friday certain Vernon’s and Martin’s brands smoked and andouille sausage and hog head cheese may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen that can cause listeriosis.

Although healthy people rarely contract listeriosis, Strain said it can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems – including infants, the elderly and those with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.

Symptoms of listeriosis include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. It can also cause miscarriage and still births, the commissioner said.

Consumers may call the company operations manager, Neal Sheets, at (225) 622-3262.