Health Law

Another Recall: queso fresco contaminated with listeria

By Drew Falkenstein

Another recall today (actually, the queso fresco recall was announced yesterday, but expanded upon today by the FDA).  This one concerns cheese (queso fresco soft mexican cheese) due to potential contamination by listeria monocytogenes.  The FDA's cheese recall announcement states as follows:

Del Bueno of Grandview, WA is recalling all size packages of Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese because 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, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Queso Fresco Fresh Cheese was distributed to retail markets in Washington and one in Hermiston, Oregon.

The cheese is packaged in round clear plastic packages, and is marked on the back with a code date; all codes up to and including May 30th, 2010 are being recalled.

The recall was initiated after a routine sample of cheese from Del Bueno tested positive for listeria monocytogenes.  But the Washington State Department of Agriculture has linked one illness to the cheese.

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium called Listeria monocytogenes. Although there are other types of Listeria, most cases of listeriosis are caused by Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria is found in soil and water. Vegetables can become contaminated from the soil or from manure used as fertilizer. Animals can carry the bacterium without appearing ill and can contaminate foods of animal origin, such as meats and dairy products. Listeria has been found in a variety of raw foods, such as uncooked meats and unpasteurized (raw) milk or foods made from unpasteurized milk. Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking; however, in certain ready-to-eat foods, like hot dogs and cold cuts from the deli counter, contamination may occur after cooking but before packaging.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on April 06, 2010 (boomark / email).