Exclusive | Boars Head listeria outbreak tanks sales at rival deli meat brands: This one killed too many

The Boar’s Head listeria outbreak has tanked demand for cold cuts industry wide — and experts warn sales could languish for a year or more as consumers struggle to shake off anxiety over tainted deli meat.The century-old Boar’s Head brand — whose July listeria outbreak at a Virginia plant has killed 10 people, sent dozens more to the hospital and sparked the recall of more than 7 million pounds of meat — hasn’t disclosed the impact of the disaster on its business.But Avi Kaner, co-owner of New York City supermarket chain Morton Williams, said sales of cold cuts at his 20 stores across the metro area are down 33% at the chain while the Boar’s Head brand is down by 50%.Grocery shoppers “have shifted their buying habits to other brands – and it’s substantial,” Kaner told The Post.Some New York metro supermarkets have stopped promoting Boar’s Head products in their weekly circulars, said another New York grocery executive who did not want to be identified.“It’s going to take a lot to get consumers’ trust back because this one killed too many people,” the executive said.“I didn’t want to be promoting a product or company that’s under investigation in our circulars so I’ve been pushing my private label cold cuts,” the executive added.“But it’s still slow because people are concerned about cold cuts and Boar’s Head is the leader and when the leader gets into trouble everyone does.”Meanwhile, sales at Thumann’s — a 75-year-old, family-owned deli meat brand that’s based in Carlstadt, NJ — have fallen by 10% since August, chief executive Robert Burke told The Post.

That’s despite Thumann’s picking up new accounts with distributors and retailers who have ditched Boar’s Head.Burke — who declined to disclose how many new accounts the company has gained, said Thumann’s has posted disclaimers on its website and social media and bought ads to explain that its products are “not implicated” in the recent recall ...