Consumer News: Clover Hill Dairy expands cheese recall amid deadly listeria outbreak

All Clover Hill Dairy-brand cheeses currently on the market are included

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Clover Hill Dairy has expanded a recall to include all of its cheese products because of possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

• Federal health officials have linked the outbreak to nine illnesses, eight hospitalizations and one death across multiple states.

• Consumers in six jurisdictions, including Virginia, are urged not to eat the recalled products, which may also have been sold under several other brand names.

Clover Hill Dairy has expanded a voluntary recall to include all of its cheese products after federal and state investigators found evidence linking the Maryland dairy to a multistate listeria outbreak that has sickened nine people and resulted in one death.

The Mechanicsville, Maryland-based company announced June 18 that all Clover Hill Dairy-brand cheeses currently on the market are being recalled because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, particularly among older adults, young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

The expanded recall follows an earlier recall of the company's requesn, or soft ricotta-style cheese. Since then, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have broadened their investigation after laboratory testing linked multiple cheese samples and an environmental sample from the facility to the outbreak strain of listeria.

Nine illnesses in three states

According to the CDC, nine illnesses have been reported in three states, resulting in eight hospitalizations and one death. Health officials caution that the true number of cases may be higher because some infected individuals recover without seeking medical care or being tested.

The recalled products were sold directly through Clover Hill Dairy's retail market, at farmers markets and through third-party distributors in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Some products may have been relabeled under other brand names, including Kesso, Quesos La Ricura, Izalco, De Mi Pueblo and Rio Lindo. Consumers can identify affected products by looking for plant number 24-128 on packaging. The complete list is below:

The recall covers a wide range of soft, semi-soft and hard cheeses, including ricotta, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby and flavored varieties. State health officials previously suspended the dairy's operating license while the investigation continues.

What to do

Federal health officials advise consumers not to eat, sell or serve any recalled cheese products and to either discard them or return them to the place of purchase for a refund. Surfaces and containers that may have come into contact with the cheese should also be cleaned and sanitized because listeria can survive in refrigerated environments and spread to other foods.

Symptoms of listeria infection can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, nausea and diarrhea. In severe cases, the infection can spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract and become life-threatening. Pregnant women face an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and other serious complications.

The FDA said its investigation remains ongoing and additional information will be released as it becomes available.