A decadelong, deadly listeria outbreak that has sickened dozens has been linked to cheese and other dairy products sold by Rizo López Foods, a company in Modesto, California, the Food and Drug Administration announced Feb. 6.
Rizo López Foods announced the same day that the company had recalled all of cheeses and dairy products made in their facility.
Listeria cheese recall 2024
The roughly 60 recalled products include various cheeses, yogurts and sour creams sold nationwide in grocery stores and at deli counters under the brand names:
- Tio Francisco
- Don Francisco
- Rizo Bros
- Rio Grande
- Food City
- El Huache
- La Ordena
- San Carlos
- Campesino
- Santa Maria
- Dos Ranchitos
- Casa Cardenas
- 365 Whole Foods Market
The FDA website features a full list of the recalled products.
The outbreak, which has been linked to illnesses as far back as June 2024, has made at least 26 people in 11 states sick. Two people, one in California and another in Texas, died after consuming the contaminated products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Two people who got sick during the outbreak were pregnant and one person suffered a pregnancy loss. Additionally, two newborn babies were included in the case count for the outbreak because “listeria can be passed to newborns during pregnancy,” according to CDD officials.
The CDC originally investigated the outbreak in 2017 and 2021. Evidence in those previous investigations identified queso fresco and other similar cheeses as a potential source of the outbreak, but a specific brand could not be identified.
After new illnesses were reported in December 2023, the CDC and the FDA reopened the investigation.
In January 2024, a sample of Rizo Bros Aged Cotija tested positive for the same strain of listeria that made consumers sick in the original outbreak during a…
Read the full article here
