A Listeria monocytogenes outbreak tied to deli headcheese produced in Chicago has prompted federal health officials to issue a public health alert affecting consumers across multiple states. On May 14, 2026, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service confirmed that headcheese samples produced by Crawford Sausage Co. in Chicago, Illinois, tested positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes — the same bacteria that causes serious, and sometimes fatal, foodborne illness, particularly in pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.
The implicated product — Daisy Brand Meat Products Headcheese — was sold in retail deli cases in various weight packages with a use-by date of March 26, 2026. Although the use-by date has passed, Listeria outbreaks are often identified weeks or months after exposure because of the bacterium's unusually long incubation period, meaning people sickened by this product may still be getting ill or may have already been hospitalized without their illness being connected to this product.
