Prime Line Distributors and Ferrarini USA are recalling roughly 1,513 pounds of imported ready-to-eat pork guanciale (dry-cured pork jowl) after a routine import reinspection sample came back positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The product was distributed to food service and retail locations in Florida, California, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. If you have this guanciale on hand, do not eat it — throw it away or return it to the place of purchase. This pork guanciale recall was announced by FSIS on September 6, 2026 under recall notices 019-2026 and 020-2026, with no illnesses confirmed to date.
The Official Details
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the problem was discovered during routine import reinspection testing, when a product sample of the imported pork guanciale confirmed positive for Listeria monocytogenes. FSIS recall notices 019-2026 and 020-2026 cover the following:
- Product: Imported ready-to-eat pork guanciale (dry-cured pork jowl)
- Companies: Prime Line Distributors, Inc. (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and Ferrarini USA, Inc. (Hoboken, NJ)
- Foreign establishment number: IT 1937 L CE
- Lot code: 263311US
- Best if used by date: 05.16.27
- Production date: May 21, 2026
- Quantity recalled: approximately 1,513 pounds
- States affected: Prime Line Distributors’ products went to food service and retail locations in Florida; Ferrarini USA’s products went to distributors and food service locations in California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Texas
FSIS says there have been no confirmed reports of illness linked to consumption of these products as of the recall announcement. Consumers who purchased this guanciale, and food service operators who received it, should not serve or eat it — discard it or return it to the seller. Anyone with concerns about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.
Full official details, including the product labels, are available directly from FSIS: Prime Line Distributors, Inc. and Ferrarini USA, Inc. Recall Imported Ready-To-Eat Pork Guanciale Products Due to Possible Listeria Contamination (FSIS.usda.gov).
If you cook Italian dishes at home, guanciale is a common ingredient in recipes like carbonara — our Lemon Ricotta Pasta guide is a good cured-pork-free alternative if you want a similar creamy pasta dinner while you sort out your pantry.
What Does the Recalled Guanciale Look Like?
The recalled guanciale is packaged under the Ferrarini brand as “GUANCIALE, Dry-Cured Pork Jowl, Product of Italy,” marked with the foreign establishment number IT 1937 L CE. Check any guanciale you have on hand for this establishment number, lot code 263311US, and a best-if-used-by date of 05.16.27 before deciding whether to keep it.
Is This Common?
Listeria monocytogenes is one of the more serious foodborne pathogens FSIS and the FDA screen for, because it can survive refrigeration and, in vulnerable people — pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and anyone with a weakened immune system — can cause a serious and sometimes life-threatening infection called listeriosis. Imported ready-to-eat meats like guanciale, prosciutto, and other dry-cured products go through mandatory FSIS import reinspection precisely to catch problems like this before they reach a wider number of consumers. Recalls triggered by a positive lab result during that reinspection step, rather than by confirmed illnesses, are a routine — if still serious — part of how the food safety system is designed to work.
Update Log
- September 7, 2026: Article published following FSIS recall notices 019-2026 and 020-2026, announced September 6, 2026, for imported ready-to-eat pork guanciale from Prime Line Distributors, Inc. and Ferrarini USA, Inc. due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
