Anationwide recall of products containing cheese with a risk for listeria contamination continues to grow larger, with salad kits and taco kits sold at stores, including Austin-basedgrocery chain Whole Foods Market being removed from shelves.
Rizo-LópezFoodsof Modesto, California, on Feb. 5 recalled dozens of dairy products includingqueso fresco and cotija cheese,because of the risk of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Those recalled products – including cheese, crema, yogurt, and sour cream – were sold nationwide under brand names such as 365 Whole Foods Market, Don Francisco and Tio Francisco, the company said in apress release. Stores carrying products initially affected includedHarris TeeterandWhole Foods.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture andU.S. Food and Drug Administrationon Thursday issued notices that increased the list of products recalled because they contained cheese made by Rizo-LópezFoods to more than five dozen, including black bean dip and other products sold at Costco and Trader Joe's, and Amazon Kitchen-branded burritos.
Listeria recall:More cheese products pulled at Walmart, Costco, Safeway, other stores
Then, late Friday and Saturday,the FDAissued notifications of 10 additional food companies with voluntary recalls connected to the agency's ongoing investigation of the listeria outbreak. Those products included various salad kits and taco kits including those carrying the Dole brand, and were sold at stores including Albertson's, Carrs-Safeway, Costco, Eagle, Safeway, and Walmart.
Home Chef also notified delivery customers via email that several meals – among them White Cheddar Pesto Mac and Cheese and Cherry Chipotle Brisket Tacos – may not have the cheese required for the dishes and advised them to discard the cheese if one of the specific meal kits did come with cheese.
What additional foods are being recalled for listeria risk in Texas?
These companies issued recalls of products sold in Texas that contained cheese supplied by Rizo-López Food or had the potential for cross-contamination from recalled cheese products:
- Albertsons CompaniesrecalledReady Meals Chicken Street Tacos,Ready Meals Chicken Street Tacos Meal Kit, Chicken Mini Street Tacos Meal Kit, Chicken Asada Street Taco Meal, and Ready Meals Asada Street Taco Meal (all sell thru dates up to and Feb. 10, 2024), which contained a recalled cheese ingredient supplied by Rizo-López Foods, and sold at stores, includingAlbertsons, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, Lucky, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Shaw's, Star Market, Tom Thumb, and Vonsin Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
- Ready Pac Foods, Inc. recalledMarketside Southwest Chopped Kits(use-by-dates Dec. 27, 2023 to Jan. 1, 2024) andMarketside Bacon Ranch Crunch Kits(use-by-dates Feb. 3, 2024 to Feb. 19, 2024) sold toWalmartstores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming;Ready Pac Bistro Fresh Mex Chopped Kit(use-by-dates Jan. 1, 2024 to Feb. 18, 2024) sold to WinCo stores in Arizona and California; andReady Pac Bistro Queso Crunch Salad Kits(use-by-dates Jan. 1, 2024 to Feb. 18, 2024), all with recalled cheese, sold to Costco stores in California, Hawaii, and Nevada.
- Taylor Fresh Foodsis voluntarily recallingMarketside Bacon Ranch Crunch Salad Kit, which were made with ingredient packets containing cheese as part of the expanded recall from Rizo-López Foods (all had best-if-used-by dates on or before Feb 21, 2024), and were sold atWalmartstores in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, Washington, D.C.
Listeria: Here's how you get it and the symptoms
You can getlisteriosis, an infection, by eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria. In November 2023, the FDA issued arecall of peaches, plums and nectarinessold at stores, including supermarkets Albertsons, Aldi, Publix, Sam's Club and Walmart, over concerns of listeria contamination.
Most people who are infected do not become seriously ill, but a serious infection can develop in those most susceptible including pregnant women and their newborns, adults ages 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems,according to the CDC. Each year, about 1,600 people get sick and 260 die from listeriosis, the CDC says.
Symptoms may start the same day you eat contaminated food, but are more likely to begin within two weeks after consumption and may start as late as 10 weeks later,according to the FDA.
Symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, nausea, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea for those with a mild illness. Serious infections may lead to headaches, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. If you develop symptoms, contact your healthcare provider.
Listeria outbreak cheese recall
Therecently recalled productstie into a multistate and multi-year investigation involving listeria outbreaks connected to Rizo-LópezFoods in 2021 and 2017, with cases dating back to 2014. The FDA andCenters for Disease Control and Infectionbegan investigating again after the Hawaii State Department of Health in January 2024 reported it had found a sample of Rizo-LópezFoods-manufactured Rizo Bros Aged Cotija that tested positive forListeria monocytogenes.
The outbreak has resulted in 26 illnesses with 2 deaths and 23 hospitalizations in 11 states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington),the CDC has said.Illnesses date back to 2014, the CDC said, with the most recent case in December 2023. One death was reported from California in 2017, and the other death was reported from Texas in 2020, the CDC told USA TODAY.
What if I bought cheese products recalled for listeria risk?
Check your refrigerator and freezer for any recalled products and throw them away. Do not eat them. If you froze a product without the original packaging and can’t tell if it is part of the recall, throw it away. You can get a refund from the store where you bought the products.
Clean and sanitize any surfaces the products may have touched, as listeria can survive in refrigerators and spread to other foods and surfaces. Follow theFDA's safe handling and cleaning adviceto prevent cross-contamination.
