Centers for Disease Control Warns of Listeria Outbreak in Dairy Products

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning to Americans of a listeria outbreak in dairy products sold nationwide.

The outbreak has already killed two people and has largely been spread by contaminated cheese, crema, and yogurt made by Rizo-Lopez Foods, which has voluntarily recalled the items. The products are sold in a number of supermarket chains, including Whole Foods and Food City. Per the Daily Mail, 26 Americans have been stricken with the virus, with another 23 hospitalized in 11 states. Two deaths have been reported in Texas and California.

The body is recalling 61 products including cheese, yogurt, and sour cream (crema)  sold under 13 brand names – including 365 Whole Foods Market and Food City. The items of concern were sold between June 2014 to December 2023.

The agency urged people to throw out any affected products, clean your refrigerator and surfaces, and call a health care provider right away if you suffer any symptoms. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures.

The CDC collected asked people who were sickened about the foods they had eaten within a month of becoming ill, though not all patients were surveyed. The agency states that it is still conducting interviews. Of the 22 patients who were interviews, 16 – 73 percent – reported eating queso fresco, cotija, or other similar cheeses.

The age of patients has ranged from a one-year-old to an 88-year-old, with an average age of 52. About 58 percent of those infected were female, while 42 percent were male. Of those affected, 71 percent were white Americans, five percent were Native American, and 24 percent were of another race.

The specific brand most listed for having caused infection was the cheese product Don Francisco. According to the Associated Press, the California cheese company Rizo-Lopez Foods has been under scrutiny since the virus was first detected in 2014.

“New lab and inspection evidence linked soft cheeses and other dairy products made by Rizo-Lopez Foods of Modesto, California, to the outbreak, which was first detected in June 2014,” it said.

“On Monday, the company recalled more than 60 soft cheeses, yogurt and sour cream sold under the brands Tio Francisco, Don Francisco, Rizo Bros, Rio Grande, Food City, El Huache, La Ordena, San Carlos, Campesino, Santa Maria, Dos Ranchitos, Casa Cardenas, and 365 Whole Foods Market,” it added.

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