Cheese urgently recalled over listeria contamination fears
The FOODbible Team
Featured Image Credit: Synergee/Getty Images
An Ohio food company has issued an urgent recall on several products due to fears of listeria contamination, affecting several states.
Seven types of cheese made by the Middlefield Original Cheese Co-Op have been affected by the recall.
The FDA has reported that the products were made on on May 30 and August 13.
Between July 7 and August 14 the cheeses were sent out to 'distributors, dining halls and retail stores' in Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Texas.
Advert
The recall comes after the company found the presence of listeria bacteria on 'finished product and on surfaces of cutting equipment.'
As of September 5 there have not been any reports of illness from the products, the FDA confirmed.
Listeria bacteria cause listeriosis, which has symptoms ranging from relatively mild flu-like effects up to life-threatening conditions such as sepsis or meningitis in some patients.
People who are already immunocompromised, such as those who are elderly, very young, or who have a condition which affects their immune system, are at particular risk of the infection.
It can also have a serious impact if someone is pregnant, potentially leading to miscarriage or stillbirth.
Other symptoms of listeriosis include high temperature, aches and pains, chills, feeling or being sick, and diarrhoea.
According to the FDA, listeria is 'an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.'
If someone has one of the products affected by the recall, the FDA said they should 'dispose of it or return it to the retail location during normal business hours for a refund'.
Words by Kit Roberts