Cheese products sold nationwide recalled over listeria outbreak [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Michigan-based Old Europe Cheese is voluntarily recalling its products because of a listeria outbreak.
• The CDC reports that the company supplies cheese to 25 brands sold across the U.S. and in Mexico.
• The outbreak has left multiple people hospitalized.

Brie and Camembert cheeses sold nationwide in the U.S. and in Mexico were recalled after they were linked to a listeria outbreak that led to six cases of the bacterial infection from 2017 to 2022, according to an FDA news release.

Old Europe Cheese issued a voluntary recall on Friday for brie and Camembert cheeses distributed from Aug. 1 through Sept. 28 with best-by dates through Dec. 14 after it conducted a full environmental audit of 120 samples, both of its products and facilities, and found that one of the facilities’ samples tested positive for listeria, according to the news release.

Listeria infection can cause severe illness when bacteria spread from the gut to other parts of the body, especially in newborns, those who are 65 and older, pregnant or immunocompromised, according to a food safety alert issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The infection can produce mild food poisoning symptoms, but in severe cases result in pregnancy loss, premature birth and death in newborns.

The products that were recalled were sold under 25 different brand names, including Black Bear and Trader Joe, and in such stores as Whole Foods, Stop & Shop and Lidl, among many more, according to the CDC.

A full list of recalled products can be found here.

The CDC is now recommending for anyone who bought the products throw them away and clean any surfaces the cheese may have touched. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and spread to other foods and surfaces, the CDC says.

Old Europe Cheese, based in Michigan, has stopped producing the brie and Camembert products until further notice, and is working with state and federal authorities to make the recall a fast and efficient process.

Source: ABC News