- The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall alert for several soft cheeses due to Listeria contamination concerns.
- The cheeses were sold at Aldi and Market Basket, along with other stores.
- The recall is especially important for pregnant people, older adults, and people with compromised immune systems.
There’s another recall happening in the U.S. tied to listeria, and this time it’s impacting cheese—soft cheeses, in particular.
Savencia Cheese USA is recalling certain soft-ripened cheeses due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious and fatal infections. The impacted cheeses were sold at Aldi and Market Basket, among other stores, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recall notice.
The U.S. has seen a slew of recalls due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination this year, most recently frozen waffles and Boar’s Head deli meat.
Meet the experts: Darin Detwiler, L.P.D.., an associate teaching professor of food policy at Northeastern University and author of Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions; Barbara Kowalcyk, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University
So, which cheeses are impacted, and should you be concerned about listeria? Here’s what food safety experts want you to know.
Which cheeses are impacted?
The FDA has a full list of the impacted cheeses, along with photos, if you’re unsure. All of the cheeses have a best-buy date of 12/24/2024.
Here’s which cheeses are impacted by the recall:
- Aldi Emporium Selection Brie, 12/8oz
- La Bonne Vie Brie, 6/8oz
- La Bonne Vie Camembert, 6/8oz
- 12/8oz Industrial Brie
- Market Basket Brie 6/8oz
- Supreme Oval 7oz, 6/7oz
If you believe you have an impacted product, do not eat it. The FDA recommends throwing it out or returning it to the point of purchase.
How does listeria end up in cheese?
Listeria is a pathogen that’s found in the environment, says Barbara Kowalcyk, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University. “It can get into products like soft cheeses, hot dogs, and deli meats after processing and can become really problematic,” she says.
Soft cheese can be more of a potential listeria issue than hard cheese due to its high moisture content, which the pathogen likes, Kowalcyk says.
Unfortunately, Listeria monocytogenes “thrive in cold environments,” says Darin Detwiler, L.P.D., an associate teaching professor of food policy at Northeastern University and author of Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions. “It can grow at refrigeration temperatures, meaning it can persist in cold storage environments where many other pathogens cannot,” he says.
This makes it harder for facilities that handle refrigerated or frozen foods to get rid of it, Detwiler says. “Further, Listeria can form biofilms, which are protective layers that allow the bacteria to survive cleaning and sanitation procedures,” he says. “This makes it difficult to fully eliminate from equipment and surfaces in food processing plants.”
Many people don’t cook soft cheeses, which makes this recall particularly concerning, Kowalcyk says. (Listeria can be killed at temperatures of at least 165°F, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.)
What is listeria?
Listeria are bacteria that can cause serious illness and even death, according to the CDC. Listeria monocytogenes, which triggered the recall, can lead to a rare but potentially fatal condition known as listeriosis.
About 1,600 people contract listeriosis each year in the U.S., and 260 die from it, per the CDC. While anyone can get listeriosis, it’s especially dangerous for pregnant people, newborns, adults 65 and up, and people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC.
Listeriosis symptoms
Listeria can cause an intestinal illness or an invasive illness (meaning, it spreads beyond the gut). The most common symptoms of an intestinal listeria infection are diarrhea and vomiting that start within 24 hours of eating contaminated food and last for one to three days, per the CDC.
Invasive illness from listeria may lead to these symptoms, according to the CDC:
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
“Most people with a robust immune system don’t get sick when they’re exposed to listeria; or, if they do get sick, it’s very mild,” Kowalcyk says. “Even pregnant women can have mild or flu-like symptoms.” But listeriosis in pregnant people can lead to stillbirth, miscarriage, premature delivery, or a life-threatening infection of the newborn, she says.
What to do if you have the impacted cheese
If you have the impacted cheese in your fridge, the FDA recommends throwing it out or returning it to where you purchased it from for a full refund.
If you’re pregnant, an older adult, or have a compromised immune system, Kowalcyk recommends being careful about handling these products. “Cross-contamination is an issue as well,” she says. “Be aware of the risk.”