2024-02-10 08:00:00
A nationwide recall of products containing cheese with a risk of listeria contamination continuing to increase with salad kits and taco kits sold at stores such as Albertsons, Costco, Walmart and WinCo being removed from shelves.
Rizo-López Foods of Modesto, Calif., on Feb. 5 recalled dozens of dairy products, including Queso 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 a Press release. Stores that carry products that were initially affected included Harris Teeter and Whole foods.
The US Department of Agriculture and US Food and Drug Administration issued notices Thursday that increased the list of products recalled for containing cheese made by Rizo-López Foods to more than five dozen, including black bean dip and other products sold at Costco and Trader Joe’s, and Amazon Kitchen- brand burritos.
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Then, late Friday and Saturday the FDA issued notices of 10 additional food companies with voluntary recalls related to the agency’s ongoing investigation into the listeria outbreak. Those products included various salad kits and taco kits, including those bearing the Dole brand, and were sold at stores such as Albertson’s, Carrs-Safeway, Costco, Eagle, Safeway and Walmart. Home Chef also notified delivery customers via email that several meals – including White Cheddar Pesto Mac and Cheese and Cherry Chipotle Brisket Tacos – may not contain the cheese required for the dishes and advised them to remove the cheese toss if one of the specific meal kits comes with cheese.
What additional foods are being recalled for listeria risk?
These companies have issued recalls of products containing cheese supplied by Rizo-López Food or had the potential for cross-contamination of recalled cheese products:
- Albertsons Companies recall Prepared Meals Chicken Street Tacos, Prepared Meals Chicken Street Tacos Meal KitChicken Mini Street Tacos Meal Kit, Chicken Asada Street Taco Meal, and Ready Meals Asada Street Taco Meal (all sold through Feb. 10, 2024), which contained a recalled cheese ingredient supplied by Rizo-López Foods, and sold at stores including Albertsons, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, Lucky, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons in 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.
- Braga Fresh recall a limited amount of Marketside Bacon Ranch Crunch Chopped Salad Kits containing recalled cheese (best-if-used-by dates January 20, 2024 through February 19, 2024) distributed to a limited number of Walmart stores in California and Nevada.
- BrightFarms, Inc. recall Southwest Chipotle Salad Setsthat had Rizo-López Foods’ Cotija cheese in the kit (best-by dates Dec. 31, 2023 through Feb. 22, 2024), sold to retailers in Delaware, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington, DC
- Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. recall Dole Chopped Kit Avocado Ranch, Dole Chop Kit Avocado Ranch, Dole Premium Kit Southwest Salad, Dole Cajun Ranch Chopped Kit, Dole Premium Kit Endless Summer, Dole Supreme Kit Southwest Salad, President’s Choice Southwest Salad Setand Marketside Chopped Salad Kit Bacon Ranch Crunch (best-if-used-by dates ranging from February 3, 2024 to February 21, 2024), all of which were processed on the same line as a cheese recalled by Rizo-López Foods, sold in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida , Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. The salads are also distributed in the following Canadian provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec.
- Fresh Express revoke the Marketside Southwest Chopped Kit (use-by dates of January 14, 2024 through January 17, 2024 and spice pack use-by dates of March 3, 2024), sold at retailers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia; and the Fresh Express Sauce! Salad Salad Kit (Use-by dates from Jan. 6, 2024 to Jan. 8, 2024 and Jan. 21, 2024 to Feb. 20, 2024 and spice pack use-by dates from Feb. 28, 2024 to April 4, 2024) , sold at retailers in California, Idaho, Utah and Washington, because both had condiment packages containing recalled cheese.
- Fresh & Prepared Food are four sandwiches due to the Rizo-López Foods recall of cotija cheese: Fresh & Ready Ham Torta Sandwich, Fresh & Ready Chicken Torta Sandwich, Branch & Sprout Ham Torta Sandwich on Telera Roll, Jack & Olive Ham Torta Sandwich on Telera Rollall distributed between January 21, 2024 and February 6, 2024 and sold exclusively in locations in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.
- Ready Pac Foods, Inc. recall Marketside Southwest Chopped Kits (use by dates 27 Dec 2023 to 1 Jan 2024) and Marketside Bacon Ranch Crunch Kits (use-by dates Feb. 3, 2024 to Feb. 19, 2024) sold to Walmart stores 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 through Feb. 18, 2024) sold to WinCo stores in Arizona and California; and Ready Pac Bistro Queso Crunch Salad Kits (use-by dates January 1, 2024 through February 18, 2024), all with recalled cheese, sold to Costco stores in California, Hawaii and Nevada.
- State Bridges. Markets was recalled 768 units of Chicken Street Taco Kits (all sell-by dates through February 10, 2024), because a recalled cheese ingredient is in the kits’ crema cup; the kits were available for purchase at all Stater Bros. Markets in California.
- The Save Mart Companies revoke all lot and date codes from Chicken Street Taco Kits sell in Store Mart, Lucky and Lucky California store service delis because it includes a cup of crema sauce containing cotija cheese produced by Rizo-López Foods and recalled; the kits were sold at stores in California and Nevada.
- Taylor fresh food voluntarily revoked Marketside Bacon Ranch Crunch Salad Kitthat were made with ingredient packages containing cheese as part of the extended recall from Rizo-López Foods (all had best-if-use-by dates on or before February 21, 2024), and were sold at Walmart stores 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, DC
Listeria: Here’s how you get it and the symptoms
You can get listeriosis, an infection, by eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium. In November 2023, the FDA issued a recall of peaches, plums and nectarines sold at stores including at supermarkets including Albertsons, Aldi, Publix, Sam’s Club and Walmart over concerns about listeria contamination.
Most people who are infected do not become seriously ill, but a serious infection can develop in those who are most susceptible, including pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 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 can start the same day you eat contaminated food, but are more likely to start within two weeks of consumption and can start as late as 10 weeks later. according to the FDA.
Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, nausea, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea for those with mild illness. Severe infections can lead to headaches, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. If you develop symptoms, contact your healthcare provider.
Listeria outbreak cheese recall
The recently recalled products joins a multistate and multiyear investigation involving listeria outbreaks linked to Rizo-López Foods in 2021 and 2017, with cases dating back to 2014. The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Infection began investigating again after the Hawaii State Department of Health reported in January 2024 that it found a sample of Rizo-López Foods-manufactured Rizo Bros Aged Cotija that tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
The outbreak 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 said. Illnesses date back to 2014the 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 fridge and freezer for any recalled products and discard them. Don’t eat them. If you’ve frozen a product without the original packaging and can’t tell if it’s part of the recall, throw it away. You can get a refund from the store where you bought the products.
Clean and disinfect any surfaces that the produce has touched, as listeria can survive in refrigerators and spread to other foods and surfaces. Follow the FDA’s Advice on Safe Handling and Cleaning to prevent cross contamination.
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
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