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Torres
Hillsdale Country Cheese Listeria Recall Expanded Date Published: Monday, March 30th, 2009 Source
of Article: http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/5356 Last
week’s recall by Torres Hillsdale Country Cheese of Reading, Michigan has
been expanded. The recall, which was announced by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) involves certain Asadero and Oaxaca soft Mexican-style
cheeses due to potential Listeria
contamination. The
original recall indicated that the Torres Hillsdale Country Cheese products
were distributed in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee,
Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The expanded
recall now also includes possibly Listeria-contaminated cheeses shipped to
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Alabama, as well. The
recalled
cheese products were then distributed to retails stores and delis in
10-pound balls and 16- and 12-ounce plastic packages, sold under the name
“Aguas Calientes.” The recalled cheeses were also sold in six-pound blocks,
shrink-wrapped in clear plastic, under the name “El Jaliciense.” Packaging
may also include a label with the name “Torres Hillsdale Country Cheese LLC,”
said the FDA. The recall encompasses all production dates between August 1,
2008 (expiration date 10/29/2008) and February 27, 2009 (expiration date
5/10/2009). A
routine sample of Asadero cheese, taken by an inspector from the Michigan
Department of Agriculture’s Food and Dairy Division on February 23, 2009, was
subsequently tested by the Michigan Department of Agriculture Laboratory and
discovered to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. To date, no
illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled Torres Hillsdale
Country Cheese products. The
FDA is advising consumers and retailers to return all unused, recalled
products to Torres Hillsdale Country Cheese and to contact Salvador Torres,
Manager, Torres Hillsdale Country Cheese LLC at 1-517-368-5990 with any
questions or concerns. Listeriosis,
the food poisoning generated by Listeria monocytogenes, is particularly
dangerous to the elderly, pregnant women, newborns, those with chronic
medical conditions, people with HIV, or those undergoing chemotherapy. In
serious cases, the disease spreads to the nervous system, causing headaches,
stiff neck, and convulsions. Listeriosis can also cause meningitis and blood
poisoning in immune-compromised individuals. In
pregnant women, Listeriosis can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or birth
of a baby suffering from the infection. Pregnant women are about 20 times
likelier than others to be infected, with about one-third of Listeriosis
cases occurring during pregnancy; the incidence of Listeriosis in newborns is
8.6 per 100,000 live births and the perinatal and neonatal mortality rate
(stillbirths and early infant deaths) is 80 percent. Listeria
monocytogenes is responsible for an estimated 2,500 illnesses in the United
States annually, with about 200 in every 1,000 cases resulting in death.
Listeriosis can take days, even weeks, to develop and can present in anything
from a mild flu-like illness to meningitis and septicemia. Earlier
this month we reported on a Peregrina Cheese Corporation of New York City
Queso Fresco cheese recall, also over concerns about Listeria monocytogenes
contamination. That recall was the third in a series of recalls by Peregrina
Cheese, with a second recall implemented in February and the first in
December 2007, all due to possible Listeria contamination. Just prior to the
Torres Hillsdale report, we wrote about Neco Foods, LLC of Lantana, Florida
recalling 231 cases of seven-ounce, 32-ounce, and five-pound packages of
Atlantis Brand SMOKED FISH DIP, because of a potential Listeria
contamination. |
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