Cheese Sold In NY Recalled Amid Listeria Concerns, FDA Says

LONG ISLAND, NY — A Maryland-based cheese company recalled all of its cheese products last week, amid concerns that the cheese was contaminated with listeria.

In a June 18 announcement, Maryland-based Clover Hill Dairy recalled all of its cheese products due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

According to the FDA, the possibly contaminated cheese was sold at retailers in North Carolina, New York, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

About Listeria Monocytogenes

According to the FDA, symptoms of listeria infection usually start within two weeks of eating contaminated food, but can start showing as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after the fact.

According to the cheese manufacturer, listeria monocytogenes can cause serious, sometimes fatal infections in young children and elderly people, as well as other immunocompromised groups. Healthy individuals, the company said, “may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.”

Finally, the cheese company said listeria can cause miscarriages and still births among pregnant women.

To date, the FDA says there have been 9 illnesses, 8 hospitalizations and 1 death linked to the now-recalled cheese.

What The FDA Is Advising

The recall began about three weeks ago, when Long Island-based distributor Nelson & Isa Lacteos recalled requeson cheese that had been sold in retail locations across Long Island between May 15 and May 28. A list of the stores that the FDA “has reason to believe received requeson cheese that was included in the recall” is available here.

As for the expanded recall, the FDA is advising people not to eat, sell or serve the recalled cheese. A full list of the recalled products is available here. Furthermore, the FDA is recommending that people check their refrigerators and freezers for any recalled cheese. Anyone with recalled cheese in their home is advised to return it to the store they bought it from or throw it out.

For consumers, restaurants and retailers who received the recalled cheese, the FDA is advising that they clean and sanitize surfaces that the cheese containers touched. Listeria, the FDA said, can survive in refrigerated environments and spread to other foods and surfaces.