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Consumers in US could face cold-cut crisis as virus ravages pig farms in Italy

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Consumers in US could face cold-cut crisis as virus ravages pig farms in Italy

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Consumers could soon be facing a culinary cataclysm: a cold-cut crisis.

Officials in Italy have slaughtered 90,000 pigs over the last two months as African swine fever sweeps over the European nation famed for its food culture, as well as an array of savory pork products that are popular across the United States. 

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Food industry insiders fear shortages of salami, mortadella and pancetta. The delicacies are found in almost every supermarket deli counter, sandwich shop and Italian restaurant in the U.S.

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“The spread of swine fever has reached alarming levels, putting at risk not just the health of the animals but of the entire pork sector,” Ettore Prandini, president of business trade group Confindustria, wrote in a recent letter to Italy’s minister of agriculture. 

The possible deli-counter devastation comes amid soaring food costs, a strike that disrupted commerce at U.S. ports and a massive recall by meat-maker Boar’s Head that forced it to end its liverwurst production. 

But it’s the overseas swine-fever assault on salty, savory, dry-cured prosciutto, an essential ingredient and flavor in Italian cuisine, that has chefs and restaurateurs sharpening their anxiety. 

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“Prosciutto has that ‘nyum-nyum’ factor. It’s got to have that ‘nyum-nyum’ factor,” Vito La Fata, co-owner of Vito’s Sicilian Pizzeria & Ristorante in St. Louis, Missouri, told Fox News Digital.

The deep, rich flavor and silky texture of prosciutto crosses the palate like soothing warm oil. It tantalizes the taste buds — La Fata’s “nyum-nyum factor.”

“It’s the foundation of an Italian restaurant,” he said.

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Joe Isidori, chef-owner of Arthur & Sons, a popular red-sauce Italian restaurant in New York City, grew up in the third generation of a family of butchers and chefs.

Chef Joe Isidori of Arthur & Sons in New York City, center, fears swine fever in Italy could impact his menu in the U.S. At left, Ruliano prosciutto cures in Riano di Langhirano, Italy. At right, a woman savors prosciutto in Parma, Italy.  (David Silverman/Getty Images; Joe Isidori/Arthur & Sons; Edoardo Fornaciari/Getty Images)

He puts prosciutto on a pedestal, too.

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“Prosciutto is in our veins. It’s part of our DNA. I don’t know if we could live without it,” Isidori told Fox News Digital.

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Prosciutto and arugula pizza, one of the signature items at Vito’s Sicilian Pizzeria & Ristorante in St. Louis, Missouri.  (Pat Imig/Imig Communications)

The threat to prosciutto has grown in recent weeks as swine fever swept down from its epicenter in the northern region of Lombardy and into neighboring Parma. 

The province of Parma is celebrated worldwide for Italy’s finest prosciutto.

Isidori is already cooking up plans for a worst-case scenario, noting that two of the most popular dishes at Arthur & Sons feature the traditional Italian ham.

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The stacked eggplant at Arthur & Sons pairs prosciutto with red peppers and buratta cheese. Smoked prosciutto enriches what Isidori calls “our world-famous” spicy rigatoni alla vodka.  

Prosciutto is one of the main ingredients in the signature stacked eggplant at Arthur & Sons in New York City. (Joe Isidori/Arthur & Sons)

“We’ll have to figure it out,” Isidori said, should Parma prosciutto grow scarce. “For our recipes, prosciutto is the king.”

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

La Fata of Vito’s in St. Louis was raised in Sicily. But he’s already equipped to survive and thrive during the Italian-born cold-cut crisis. 

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He buys American.

“We support a local company,” La Fata said. “The prosciutto we use here, Volpi, is made here in St. Louis. It reminds me of the flavor we used to have back in Sicily. It’s great prosciutto. It also has the great advantage that it happens to be local, too.”

Volpi prosciutto has “got that nyum-nyum factor, just like the gold standard Parma prosciutto,” La Fata said.

Twelve countries, including China, Taiwan and Mexico, have banned the import of Italian pork delicacies, like prosciutto, because of swine fever in Italy, the AP reported. The U.S. is not among the 12. 

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Wisconsin

Missing Wisconsin teen Joniah Walker found safe 4 years after disappearing from home

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Missing Wisconsin teen Joniah Walker found safe 4 years after disappearing from home


A missing Wisconsin teen was found safe after mysteriously vanishing from home four years ago as her family had believed she was “lured away.”

Joniah Walker, 19, was safely discovered on May 25, the Milwaukee Police Department told WISN on Tuesday.

Police officials didn’t disclose where Walker was found or provide any further information on the case, including whether the teen was with someone else.

Joniah Walker, a Milwaukee teen who disappeared in 2022, has been found safe in May 2026. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Walker, then 15, had disappeared from her Milwaukee home on June 23, 2022.

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Walker’s mother, Tanesha Howard, said she last saw her daughter lying in bed when she left for work the morning of her disappearance, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

“Joniah was lying in bed because she had just finished school. I went in to give her a hug before leaving for work,” Howard told the organization.

The mother and daughter duo had talked on the phone several times throughout the day before Walker “suddenly stopped responding.”

Walker was supposed to meet her father to apply for a summer work permit but failed to arrive at the designated time.

“He called me and said that Joniah wasn’t picking up her phone,” Howard said. “That is when I immediately knew something was wrong. I left work right away.” 

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Walker, then 15, had disappeared from her Milwaukee home on June 23, 2022. Milwaukee Police Department
Walker’s mother, Tanesha Howard, said she last saw her daughter lying in bed when she left for work the morning of her disappearance. Tanesha Howard

A nearby ring camera captured Walker leaving the apartment complex at around 2:30 p.m. in the Brewer’s Hill neighborhood, a mile-and-a-half north of Downtown Milwaukee.

Video footage showed the teen carrying a large green backpack.

It was the last known sighting of Walker until she was reportedly found last month.

Howard believed her daughter had met someone online after she deleted her digital footprint and never returned.

“Somebody stole her…that was my first instinct,” Howard said. “But when I saw that she left with a big backpack that I had never seen, that’s when I knew. I was like, someone lured her away.” 

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The protective mother issued multiple pleas for her daughter to come home, begging Walker to “call me,” WISN reported in July 2022.

Video captured the teen carrying a large green backpack, in the last known sighting of Walker. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The protective mother issued multiple pleas for her daughter to come home, begging Walker to “call me.” National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

“She is my youngest daughter, so I always call her by ‘baby girl’ because that is exactly who she is, my baby girl,” she said. “She is what I would describe as a perfect daughter. She is angelic, soft spoken and very intelligent.”

Walker was one of the faces of a legislative push by Wisconsin State Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) seeking to pass a bill to create a Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls Task Force, according to Fox6 Now.

Stubbs says she believed Walker was still alive, telling Howard to hold out hope for her daughter’s return.

“I believed Joniah was still living, and I said that to her – I don’t believe Joniah is dead, it’s only a matter of time,” Stubbs told the outlet.

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“I think right now, the family needs their privacy,” Stubbs added. “I know there are so many questions, but I think as time goes by when they are ready to tell their story, they will tell it.”



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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers tee off on New York Yankees with 5 homers in win

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Detroit Tigers tee off on New York Yankees with 5 homers in win


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NEW YORK – The Detroit Tigers showed no fear or intimidation facing Cam Schlittler, the New York Yankees superstar who entered Tuesday, June 30, as the favorite to win the American League Cy Young award.

The Tigers weren’t timid, either. They were aggressive and decisive, launching four homers off Schlittler in a 9-3 victory at Yankee Stadium.

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It was stunning, to say the least.

Meanwhile, lefty Tarik Skubal was his usual outstanding self for the Tigers (37-49). Skubal picked up the win, allowing one earned run off two hits while racking up nine strikeouts.

The Tigers danced off with their second straight win at Yankee Stadium. Meanwhile, the Yankees (48-37) drew plenty of boos after losing their sixth straight. The Tigers will go for the three-game sweep on Wednesday (1:35 p.m., Detroit SportsNet).

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At the plate: Tigers use long ball to crush Yankees

Schlittler has had a historic start to the season for the Yankees. He came into the game with a 1.62 ERA, the second lowest ERA by a Yankees pitcher through his first 17 starts of a season since it became an official stat in 1913.

“He’s the best pitcher in the American League right now,” Skubal said before the game.

Which was obviously no small statement coming from Skubal.

But the Tigers played with no fear. Catcher Dillon Dingler started it off by hitting a ball 337 feet. Yes, it was caught. But it was a sign of things to come.

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The next Tigers hitter, Kerry Carpenter, smashed a ball to deep center. Spencer Jones, the Yankees outfielder, went above the wall and it looked, for a split second, like he robbed the homer. But the ball hit the palm of his glove and it popped out, squirting over the fence for a 410-foot round-tripper.

It was a massive moment, considering a catch would have ended the inning.

But that left a door open for the Tigers to start jacking more homers through.

Riley Greene, the next batter, smashed a homer to right, a 424-foot blast that landed in the second deck.

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That was also an important moment, considering Schlittler had only given up two homers all season to lefties – the Tigers had equaled it in back-to-back plate appearances.

In the first inning, no less.

Colt Keith continued the onslaught, pounding a single up the middle.

Then Spencer Torkelson got into the act, launching a homer to left on the 10th pitch of the at bat. It was a no-doubter that went 405 feet.

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To recap: Facing the best pitcher in the American League, at least to this point in the season, the Tigers crushed three 400-foot homers in one inning.

Another fun Schlittler fact: He had allowed one run or fewer in 13 of his starts this season, leading MLB.

Then, Greene did it again. He hit his second homer of the game in the third. Yes, maybe he should get more days off, like he did on Monday.

Schlittler gave up six runs in four innings, his worst start of the season.

Tigers outfielder James Outman turned it into a rout with a three-run homer in the sixth.

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On the mound: Tarik Skubal was dealing

The Tigers had a 4-0 lead before Skubal even took the mound.

He did allow a homer to Ben Rice, which was not exactly a stunner. The Yankees slugger crushed his 23rd homer of the season, cutting the Tigers lead to 4-1.

But after that point, Skubal just rolled and the Yankees never really had a chance to get back into this game.

He gave up one earned run in six innings of work, recording nine strikeouts with no walks.

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The Tigers took a 9-2 lead into the ninth. Tyler Holton came in to pitch the ninth and he gave up a run.

Next up: Tigers try for the sweep

The Tigers will finish their three-game series in Yankee Stadium, a day start that will feature right-hander Troy Melton (4-1, 2.39 ERA) against right-hander Will Warren (7-3, 3.75).

Melton will try to keep up the Tigers’ outstanding starting pitching.

In the first game, on Monday, Tigers righty Casey Mize became the first pitcher in the Tigers’ 126 seasons to throw seven or more innings, allow one hit or less, no runs, no walks and strike out 10 or more in an outing. The 10 punchouts matched his career high.

Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.

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Milwaukee, WI

Career minor-leaguer Garrett Stallings gets his shot with the Brewers

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Career minor-leaguer Garrett Stallings gets his shot with the Brewers


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Garrett Stallings was in position to hit a pretty big milestone with Class AAA Nashville.

“Someone told me this week I would have hit my 600th minor-league inning, which is kind of crazy for someone who hadn’t made it to The Show yet,” Stallings said on Tuesday – but from the Milwaukee Brewers dugout at American Family Field after the right-hander had been selected to the 26-man roster.

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“But the whole time I’ve kind of put my head down and continued to go at it, and the work’s really paid off.”

Stallings, 28, was in the midst of his best minor-league season to date with the Sounds, posting a 3-3 record and 3.45 ERA in 16 appearances (12 starts) and 59 strikeouts in 62 ⅔ innings. His last six outings have been starts, but with the Brewers he’ll join a bullpen group that’s been ridden hard in recent weeks.

“Really, just learned how to be a reliever really quickly,” said Stallings when asked how things changed for him with Milwaukee. Originally a fifth-round pick of the Angels out of the University of Tennessee in 2019, he was traded the following year to the Orioles and then to the Brewers in 2024 in exchange for right-hander Thyago Vieira and minor-leaguer Aneuris Rodriguez.

Stallings re-signed with the Brewers as a minor-league free agent in the offseason after pitching in a career-high 30 games in 2025

“I’d been a starter my whole career, and just continued to be adaptable,” he continued. “In order to get your name called you can’t just tailor to one thing. That’s really helped broaden my horizons in the game, and as many different situations you can be in, it’s helped me just adapt to the game and keep my head up and be the best version of myself.”

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Stallings lacks the electric fastball and truly nasty stuff that defines so many pitchers these days, instead relying upon moxie and a willingness to try new things.

“I’ve always been a throw-every-type-of-pitch (guy),” he said. “I’ll tinker this side of the rubber or this side and I’m always one that will always at least try new things to see if I can get that edge. I think if anything, the experience of throwing 600 minor-league innings you learn a lot along the way. And it comes with failure, too.

“It hasn’t always been the easiest path. But this year I feel like I’ve just been able to keep getting a little bit better.”

Stallings joked that he’s felt at times like he’s been the best player in the minor leagues and at other times the worst, with the cumulative experiences helping shape him into a reliever being asked to contribute outs whenever he receives the opportunity.

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“I talked to him today,” said manager Pat Murphy. “That’s the best part. You get to sit here and let those guys come in, knowing how he grinded and stuck with it and hung with it and probably didn’t believe for a while that he would (make it).

“Then, to finally believe and get that phone call, I immediately think about his mom and dad, He’s got a fiancee, his brother and sister are coming. That’s really cool, and even cooler when he gets up (to pitch).”

Stallings, a native of Chesapeake, Va., could receive that chance as soon as tonight as the Brewers try for their fifth win in as many games against the Cincinnati Reds this season.

“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

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Stallings becomes the 45th player to appear on Milwaukee’s active roster this season and seeks to become the sixth to make his major league debut.

To clear space on the 26-man roster, left-hander Robert Gasser was optioned to the rookie Arizona Complex League Brewers, a procedural move that will allow him to be available July 7 when Milwaukee will need extra starting pitching for its doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.



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