Dairy company issues urgent recall for all cheese products over deadly bacteria fears
Symptoms usually start within a fortnight of eating the contaminated goods, but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.
All cheeses of a major dairy brand are facing a mass product recall, after its products were linked to a dangerous Listeria outbreak.
Nine people have fallen ill, eight hospitalised, and has killed one person so far.
US cheesemaker Clover Hill Dairy recalled all of its Soft Ricotta/Requeson Cheese in early June as “it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, or others with weakened immune systems”.
Symptoms usually start within a fortnight of eating the contaminated goods, but Listeria symptoms may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after.
Although healthy people may only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea, the Listeria infection is particularly dangerous for pregnant women. For pregnant women, symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. While the woman’s illness may be mild, but Listeria can cause pregnancy loss or premature birth. It can also cause serious illness or death in newborns.
Other people may suffer from headaches, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions in addition to fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
Consumers should note that some Clover Hill Dairy products may have been sold under other brand names, including KESSO, QUESOS LA RICURA, IZALCO, DE MI PUEBLO, and RIO LINDO.
Cheeses (Image: Getty)
The recall includes all Clover Hill Dairy cheeses currently on the market, including varieties of cheddar, colby, monterey jack, pepper jack, ricotta, smoked cheeses, and soft cheeses.
As per the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), anyone with any of the cheeses present in their homes are urged to immediately discard all Clover Hill Dairy items or return them to the retailers at which they were purchased.
Once thrown away, it is advised to clean out your entire fridge and to completely sanitise it as per guidelines laid out by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available below.
Here is a complete list of cheeses being recalled:
– Cuajada
– Soft Cuajada
– Soft Cuajada in Brine
– Soft Cuajada Crumbs
– Ricotta/Requesón
Mild Cheese Varieties
– Yummy Cheddar
– White Cheddar
– White Colby
– Monterey Jack
– Marble Jack
– Fresh Cheddar Curd
– Snack Pack – Assorted (White Colby, Marble Jack, and Yummy Cheddar)
– 3-in-A-Pack – Assorted (White Colby, Marble Jack, and Yummy Cheddar)
Hard Cheese Varieties
– Yummy Cheddar
– White Cheddar
– White Colby
– Snack Pack Sharp Stix
Smoked Cheddar Cheese Varieties
– Cheddar
– White Cheddar
Flavoured Cheeses
– Horseradish
-Old Bay Cheddar
Pepper Cheese Varieties
– Jalapeno Cheddar
– Pepper Jack
– Sizzlin’ Colby (with Habanero Peppers)
– Snack Pack- Assorted Pepper Stix (Jalapeno Cheddar and Pepper Jack)
– 3-in-A-Pack – Assorted (Jalapeno Cheddar, Pepper Jack, and Sizzlin Colby)
