WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials have expanded a recall of cheese products linked to a multistate listeria outbreak, widening warnings to consumers after investigators tied additional varieties of cheese produced by Clover Hill Dairy to illnesses that have resulted in one death and multiple hospitalizations.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the expanded recall now covers all cheese products manufactured by Clover Hill Dairy of Mechanicsville, Maryland, after laboratory testing detected the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes in multiple cheese samples and in an environmental sample collected at the production facility. The agency said the investigation remains ongoing.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the outbreak has sickened people in several states. Federal investigators have confirmed one death in Maryland and multiple hospitalizations, while warning that additional illnesses may not yet have been reported because symptoms can take weeks to develop after exposure.
Initially, the recall focused on requesón, or soft ricotta-style cheese. It was later broadened to include all cheeses produced at the facility, including soft, semi-soft and hard varieties, because investigators had not ruled out contamination affecting additional products. The recalled cheeses may have been sold under several brand names or repackaged by retailers, complicating efforts to identify affected products.
According to the FDA, recalled products were distributed in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C., although officials cautioned that redistribution could have extended their availability beyond those jurisdictions. Consumers have been advised not to eat the recalled products and to discard them or return them to the place of purchase. Businesses have been instructed not to sell or serve the affected cheeses and to thoroughly clean equipment and surfaces that may have come into contact with them.
The Maryland Department of Health has suspended Clover Hill Dairy's operating license while the investigation continues, according to the CDC. Federal and state officials are conducting additional testing and traceback work to determine the full scope of the contamination and whether other products may be affected.
Listeria infection poses the greatest risk to pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. The CDC said symptoms can begin as soon as the same day after exposure or as late as 10 weeks later and urged anyone experiencing severe illness after consuming recalled cheese to seek medical care promptly. Officials said they will continue updating the public as new information becomes available.
