Recalled Cheese May Have Reached 28 Long Island Stores: FDA

BAY SHORE, NY — Requeson cheese recalled by a Bay Shore distributor may have been sold at 28 stores across Long Island, federal health officials said.

Nelson & Isa Lacteos LLC recalled 1-pound packages of Requeson Cheese because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The cheese was distributed to New York retailers from May 15 through May 28 in plastic clamshell containers, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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The product has no listed brand name and was likely repackaged by individual stores, meaning its labeling and coding may differ depending on where it was purchased, officials said.

The recall began after New York State inspectors detected Listeria in an unopened 18-pound container of Clover Hill Dairy Requeson Cheese.

The container had a June 14 sell-by date and batch number 2AA051526. The recalled 1-pound packages were repacked from that contaminated batch, according to the FDA.

The FDA said it has reason to believe the following stores received the recalled cheese:

Suffolk County

Central Islip

Brentwood

• Ismael Variedades, 1629 Islip Ave., Brentwood
• Urquizas Variedades, 1087 Suffolk Ave., Brentwood
• Claros Variedades No. 1, 16 First Ave., Brentwood
• Claos Variedades No. 2, 556 Suffolk Ave., Brentwood
• Variedades Paola, 472 Suffolk Ave., Brentwood
• Mi Plaza Variedades No. 1, 150 Heyward St., Brentwood
• Fine Fare Super Market, 126 Clark St., Brentwood

Bay Shore

Copiague

Mastic

East End

• Riverhead Multicervices, 74 W. Main St., Riverhead
• Damaris Multiservices, 725 E. Main St., Riverhead
• Hamptonfood Supermarket, 39 W. Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays
• Dina Multiservicios, 46455 Route 48, Southold

Nassau County

Farmingdale

• D&D, 918 Main St., South Farmingdale

Uniondale

Hempstead

Long Beach

• Cafe Honduras, 267 W. Park Ave., Long Beach

Freeport

• Plaza Centro, 46 S. Main St., Freeport
• Mi Tiendita, 282 N. Main St., Freeport

The FDA cautioned that its list might not include every store that received the cheese and could include locations that ultimately did not receive it.

Broader Outbreak Includes Death

The company said on June 5 no illnesses or complaints had been reported specifically in connection with the Nelson & Isa recall.

Federal officials connected Clover Hill Dairy cheese to a broader, multistate and multiyear Listeria outbreak. As of the FDA's June 24 update, 12 people had become sick in New York, Maryland, Virginia and Illinois. Ten were hospitalized and one person died.

Testing found that multiple cheese samples and environmental samples taken from Clover Hill Dairy matched the outbreak strain, officials said. The Maryland company later expanded its recall to include all cheese manufactured at its facility.

Listeria can cause fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Infections can be serious or fatal for young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The bacteria can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Consumers should not eat the recalled product and should return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Questions can be directed to Nelson & Isa Lacteos at 631-334-1055 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.