Neese’s livermush lovers are hanging in limbo. Why have Charlotte shelves been bare?
Long a staple of North Carolina culinary traditions, you’ll find livermush on menus at mom-and-pop restaurants around the state. Lately, however, one of the state’s most recognizable brands of the pork product, Neese’s Country Sausage, has quietly disappeared off store shelves.
The traditional food — usually made with pork liver, pork trimmings, cornmeal and seasonings — is getting harder to find altogether. What was once gracing the breakfast tables across the state has given way to a variety of other options, yet it’s still widely celebrated by those who’ve grown up here.
Since 1985, there’s even been an NC Liver Mush Festival, set to be held next in Shelby on Oct. 17, 2026.
Jamison Meat Company, once one of the top makers of livermush, has long been out of business.
And, now, livermush fans across the Charlotte area are bemoaning their inability to find Neese’s brand Liver Pudding anywhere.
Searching for livermush
Neese’s Liver Mush and Liver Pudding have been unavailable for some time now, catching the attention of many including the Charlitt Instagram account, which touts itself as a source for “Local Breaking News, Events, Viral Content, Music, Celebrities and More.”
“Say it ain’t so,” a post on the account said Tuesday, Dec. 2. “Neese’s has stopped producing livermush. You can’t even find it in the store.”
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Reddit users have also reported Neese’s other products as being hard or impossible to find regionally in the past few months.
“I’m in Greensboro area and every single Food Lion and Harris Teeter have been out of Liver pudding for weeks. None to be found anywhere,” Reddit user No-Exchange-5329 posted three months ago.
North Carolina influencer Jen Hamilton shared the same sentiment, noting empty shelves in early October.
“Happens all the dang time at ours too! It’s literally that good. Growing up in NC I remember it being the same. Best there is,” Instagram user @hjpetch wrote on Hamilton’s post.
CharlotteFive called Greensboro-based Neese’s Country Sausage three times Wednesday in attempts to speak to a company representative. Voicemail messages left were not immediately returned. The company also has a facility in Charlotte.
USDA update
However, the USDA’s Food and Safety Inspection service responded Thursday to a CharlotteFive request for information on Neese’s.
A USDA-FSIS spokesperson wrote: “FSIS has not shut down production at Neese Country Sausage in Greensboro, N.C.
“FSIS issued a Notice of Suspension that only applies to a specific portion of the facility on September 11, 2025, after a determination that the establishment was not meeting the requirements of 9 C.F.R. § 430 for its ready-to-eat processes. The establishment has responded to the Notice of Suspension, which is under review.”
That specific USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service regulation involves a requirement to have effective controls in place to keep listeria contamination away from already-cooked food.
A fourth call placed Thursday to Neese’s, seeking a response to the USDA statement, was directed to a line with a full voicemail box.
‘People are pretty particular about their livermush’
In Charlotte, Circle G Restaurant owner Sally Kakavitsas said she’s been unable to get Neese’s for three to four months but has heard it will be available again in the springtime.
“We like Neese’s in Charlotte,” she told CharlotteFive.
“The world has forever changed, but hopefully they’re going to come back. It’s terrible, especially if that’s what you’re raised on. People are pretty particular about their livermush.”
Instacart searches show Neese’s Liver Mush and Liver Pudding as out of stock at Food Lion and Ingles in the Charlotte area. The livermush product doesn’t come up at all in online searches at Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, Publix, Super G or Walmart. The brand’s Country Sausage remains available, although it’s currently showing as sold out at many local grocers.
How to get your livermush fix
With North Carolina-made Neese’s seemingly unavailable for the moment, here are other livermush options for you to get your fix in the Charlotte area.
In groceries stores and other retailers:
- Bass Farm, made by Farmington Meat Processing in Mocksville, NC, is starting to hit grocery shelves.
- Frank Corriher Beef-Sausage is among the sponsors of the NC Liver Mush Festival. You can pick up its livermush straight from the company at 940 Daugherty Road in China Grove. It’s also available at Food Lion and Walmart stores outside of Charlotte in towns including Concord, Dallas, Denver, Gastonia and Mooresville, plus the Harris Teeter in Salisbury. Family member Martha Corriher told CharlotteFive the company is working to expand its grocery availability.
- Hunters Livermush, based in Marion, has been making livermush since 1959. It’s also available in some Food Lion stores and Lowes Foods, according to its Facebook page.
- Jenkins-brand Liver Mush, produced in Shelby by Jenkins Foods, is available at some stores including Lowes Foods and Ingles.
- Mack’s Livermush & Meats’ livermush, made in Shelby, is available at some Ingles stores and via Instacart.
In Charlotte restaurants:
- Brooks Sandwich House, which is temporarily closed for a family matter this week, has a livermush sandwich on the menu.
- Circle G has switched to the Frank Corriher brand for now and is still doing a brisk business with breakfast platters and livermush biscuits, Kakavitsas said.
- Eddie’s Place serves livermush as an a la carte breakfast item, supplied via U.S. Foods.
- Skyland Family Restaurant has still got livermush on its all-day breakfast menu, too.
- Tryon House Family Restaurant offers livermush on breakfast platters or on the side.
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This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Neese’s livermush lovers are hanging in limbo. Why have Charlotte shelves been bare?."
