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FDA Investigates Presence of Listeria Linked to Soft Cheese Products

What is the Problem and What is Being Done About It?  

The FDA, CDC and state and local officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of listeriosis. 

According to the CDC, 24 people infected with one of five rare and closely-related Listeria monocytogenes strains have been reported from nine states since August 8, 2010. The number of ill people from each state is California (14), Colorado (1), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (2), Michigan (1), New York (2), Ohio (1), Tennessee (1), and Washington (1). Twenty-one (21) people were hospitalized. Five of the illnesses were pregnancy-related, with one resulting in a fetal loss. There has been one death.

The investigation has not conclusively identified the source of this outbreak, but 18 (82 percent) of the 22 ill people with available information reported eating soft cheeses in the month before becoming ill. Four of seven people with illnesses, who specified a brand of soft cheese, reported brands distributed by Karoun Dairies, Inc. of San Fernando, California, according to the CDC.

On September 16, 2015, Karoun Dairies, Inc. voluntarily recalled and stopped distributing certain cheeses due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The products were distributed to retail outlets, including food service outlets and supermarkets throughout the United States. The products are vacuum packed, in jars or in pails, and have weights varying from 5 ounces to 30 pounds. 

What are the Symptoms of Listeriosis?

Listeriosis is a rare but serious illness usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. Anyone who experiences fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, or develops fever and chills while pregnant after eating any of the products listed below should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the potentially contaminated cheese. Symptoms can appear from a few days up to a few weeks after consumption of the contaminated food.

Who is at Risk?

Listeriosis can be fatal, especially in certain high-risk groups. These groups include the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems and certain chronic medical conditions (such as cancer). In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and serious illness or death in newborn babies.

What Specific Products were Recalled?  

This recall is limited to cheese with the UPC codes in the table below sold nationwide. No other Karoun Dairies, Inc. product is affected by this recall. The recalled products listed below were distributed to retail outlets, including food service accounts and supermarkets in the U.S.

What Do Restaurants and Retailers Need To Do?

Retailers and restaurants should not serve any of the recalled products and should dispose of them. If they do not know the source of their dairy products, they should check with the supplier.

Wash and sanitize display cases and refrigerators where potentially contaminated dairy products were stored.

Wash and sanitize cutting boards, surfaces, and utensils used to cut, serve, or store potentially contaminated dairy products. 

Wash hands with warm water and soap following the cleaning and sanitation process. 

Retailers, restaurants, and other food service operators who have processed and packaged any potentially contaminated dairy products need to be concerned about cross contamination of cutting surfaces and utensils through contact with the potentially contaminated products.

Regular frequent cleaning and sanitizing of cutting boards and utensils used in processing may help to minimize the likelihood of cross-contamination. 

Listeria can grow at refrigeration temperatures in foods like dairy products. The FDA recommends, and many state codes require, that cheeses be discarded within
7 days of the date that they are opened in a retail establishment. Listeria can also cross contaminate other food cut and served on the same cutting board or stored in the same area.

Retailers, restaurants, and other food service operators may wish to consider whether other foods available for sale could have been cross-contaminated from the potentially contaminated dairy products, and should be discarded.  , for additional information.

See the FDA Bulletin, Advice to Food Establishments that Sell or Repackage Cheese Products, for additional information.

What Do Consumers Need To Do? 

Consumers should not eat any of the recalled products and should check their homes for these dairy products. Karoun Dairies urges any consumers who have purchased any of the recalled products to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund, or discard them. 

Recommendations for preventing listeriosis are available at the CDC Listeria website: http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention.html.  

Listeria monocytogenes can grow at refrigerator temperatures, about 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). The longer ready-to-eat refrigerated foods are stored in the refrigerator, the more opportunity Listeria has to grow.  

It is very important that consumers thoroughly clean their refrigerators and other food preparation surfaces and cheese cutting utensils that may have come in contact with the potentially contaminated cheese. Consumers should follow these simple steps:

Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.

Wash the inside walls and shelves of the refrigerator, cutting boards and countertops; then sanitize them with a solution of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach to one gallon of hot water; then dry with a clean cloth or paper towel that has not been previously used.

Wipe up spills in the refrigerator immediately and clean the refrigerator regularly.

Always wash hands with warm water and soap following the cleaning and sanitization process.

Who Should be Contacted? 

Consumers with questions may contact Karoun Dairies, Inc. at 1-866-272-9393, Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. PST.

The FDA also encourages consumers with questions about food safety to call 1-888-SAFEFOOD Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, or to consult the fda.gov website: http://www.fda.gov.  

Additional Information

• CDC Vital Signs Listeria
• FoodSafety.gov on Listeria