MD Dairy Recalls Cheese Products Over Listeria Risk

MARYLAND — Residents are being urged not to consume certain soft ricotta cheese products from Clover Hill Dairy due to a potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The Maryland Department of Health said the Amish-owned and operated dairy issued a voluntary recall for its requesón/soft ricotta products.

The products were sold from the dairy's retail market in Mechanicsville, as well as farmers' markets and third-party vendors in New York and Virginia.

Consumers are being told to check the manufacturer information imprinted on any ricotta cheese products they may have purchased, as the items may have been relabeled with a different brand.

Residents can identify Clover Hill Dairy products by its manufacturer permit number: 24-128. Images of the products can be viewed below.

In addition to the recall, the health department suspended the group's operating license, with plans to conduct a full evaluation at the facility.

Officials have not stated whether anyone became ill after eating the recalled ricotta product.

If the listeria bacteria are consumed, a person can develop listeriosis, a serious and life-threatening disease that causes symptoms ranging from fever, muscle aches, nausea, confusion, and convulsions.

The bacteria that cause the illness grow in unsanitary environments. It has the potential to develop into listeriosis up to two months after eating contaminated foods.