Cheeses Recalled Over Listeria Concern

camembert cheese

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Old Europe Cheese, Inc. has issued a voluntary recall for its Brie and Camembert cheeses due to a possible Listeria contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in a news release shared on its website Friday (September 30).

The products are sold nationwide, as well as in Mexico, at several retailers including Albertsons, Safeway, Meijer, Harding’s, Shaw’s, Price Chopper, Market Basket, Raley’s, Save Mart, Giant Foods, Stop & Shop, Fresh Thyme, Lidl, Sprouts, Athenian Foods and Whole Foods, according to the news release.

The Brie and Camembert products included in the recall have best by dates through December 14, 2022.

Old Europe Cheese, Inc. said it issued the recall after observing 120 samples, which included the cheese products and the company's facilities. None of the cheeses in the full environmental audit showed contamination, however, one of the facilities' samples resulted in a positive test.

The strain of the positive case is reported to be linked to six cases of Listeriosis between 2017 to 2022, which were not previously linked to Old Europe Cheese products.

Listeria monocytogenes consumption may lead to a serious infection that primarily affects the elderly, individuals with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and newborns.

Others outside of the risk groups are also prone to infection, but less commonly affected.

"FDA recommends in these cases that anyone who purchased or received any recalled products to use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross-contamination," the FDA warned in its news release. "Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces."

Symptoms for listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.


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