FDA Notice: More Products Recalled Due to Deadly Outbreak

Retailers such as Costco, Safeway, Vons, and others sold the recalled products.

Shoppers walk out with full carts from a Costco store in Washington on May 5, 2020. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

A recall of products containing cheese linked to bacterial contamination reported this month expanded to include salads and taco kits, officials say.

Rizo-Lopez, based in Modesto, California, recalled dozens of products related to the recall, saying that a listeria bacterial outbreak forced it to do so.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26 cases of bacterial infection from the contamination have been reported, including 23 hospitalizations and two deaths since the outbreak in early February.

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States that reported cases include Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington, the CDC says.

The types of cheeses that are affected are blanco suave, cotija, oaxaca, panela, queso crema, queso fresco, queso para freir, queso seco, requeson, and ricotta, the agency says. They were sold within the United States under several brand names.

The names include Bright Farms, Campesino, Casa Cardenas, Dole, Don Francisco, Don Pancho, Dos Ranchitos, El Huache, Food City, Fresh & Ready Foods, Fresh Express, H-E-B, Jack & Olive, La Ordena, Marketside, Maverick Foods, President’s Choice, Ready Pac Bistro, Rio Grande, Rizo Bros, Rojos, San Carlos, Santa Maria, Sprig & Sprout (S&S), The Perfect Bite Co., Tio Francisco, Trader Joe’s, and 365 Whole Foods Market.

They were sold at retailers such as Albertsons, Bristol Farms, Carrs-Safeway, Costco, Eagle, Lucky, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Save Mart, Shaw’s, Sprouts (S&S), Star Market, Stater Bros. Markets, Tom Thumb, and Vons, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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More details about the products, including the UPCs, sizes, and best-by dates, are included on a separate FDA page.

Consumers have been warned not to serve, eat, or sell the products and are instead advised to throw them away. Those with suspected symptoms of listeriosis, caused by the bacteria, should contact their health care providers, officials said.

The FDA said that a sample of Rizo Bros Aged Cotija tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes after it was sampled by a state health agency in Hawaii last month. In response, Rizo Lopez Foods initiated a recall of one of its products in January, although both the CDC and FDA later reported more illness, expanding the recall further.

The FDA said it “reopened the investigation in January 2024 after new illnesses were reported in December 2023 and whole genome sequencing analysis of the cotija cheese sample showed that it is [the] same strain of Listeria that is causing illnesses in this outbreak,” according to a release.

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Of the people interviewed by federal investigators, 73 percent said they had queso fresco, cotija, or other similar cheeses.

An on-site inspection at Rizo Lopez Foods was also initiated by the FDA this month. The agency said that “an environmental sample collected during that inspection tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes,” noting that it was the same strain of the bacteria causing illnesses that led to the recall.

Brands of cheese recalled due to a decade-long outbreak of listeria food poisoning that killed two people and sickened more than two dozen. CDC via AP

Earlier this month, officials said that the outbreak has lasted for about a decade. The CDC previously investigated cases of food poisoning tied to queso fresco and other similar types of cheese in 2017 and 2021, but there wasn’t enough evidence to identify a source.

What Is Listeria?

Listeria infections can cause serious illness and, in rare cases, death. Women who are pregnant, individuals older than 65, or those who have weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable. Symptoms—including muscle aches, fever, and tiredness—usually start within two weeks after eating contaminated foods, but can start earlier or later.

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The bacteria, according to an FDA webpage, “is generally transmitted when food is harvested, processed, prepared, packed, transported or stored in environments contaminated with L. monocytogenes.”

“Environments can be contaminated by raw materials, water, soil, and incoming air. Pets can also spread the bacteria in the home environment if they eat food contaminated with L. monocytogenes,” it states.

The CDC describes it as a “serious infection” and states that “an estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die.”

“The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems,” the CDC states. “Pregnant women typically experience only fever and other flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle aches. However, infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.