Keswick Creamery issued a recall for various cheese products as they might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria can cause dangerous, sometimes fatal infections in some groups of people. That’s why recalls are in order every time Listeria shows up in routine testing.
Keswick Creamery cheese recall
The company issued the cheese recall this week. It covers 10 different kinds of cheese, as seen below. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the announcement at this link.
The following Keswick Creamery cheeses are included in the recall:
- Calverley Cheese in 4 oz to 12 oz packages; price, and weight labeled in red, black, or purple ink
- Vulkwin’s Folly Cheese in 4 oz to 12 oz packages; price, and weight labeled in red, black, or purple ink
- Havarti Cheese in 4 oz to 12 oz packages; price, and weight labeled in red, black, or purple ink
- Vermeer Cheese in 4 oz to 12 oz packages; price, and weight labeled in red, black, or purple ink
- Wallaby Cheese in 4 oz to 12 oz packages; price, and weight labeled in red, black, or purple ink
- Cider Washed Tomme Cheese in 4 oz to 12 oz packages; price, and weight labeled in red, black, or purple ink
- Feta cheese in 4 oz to 12 oz packages; price, and weight labeled in red, black, or purple ink
- Whole Milk Ricotta, 8 oz and 16 oz clear deli container; expiration dates 7/18/22, 7/25/22, 8/1/22, 8/8/22, 8/18/22
- Bovre Cheese (plain, oregano and garlic, herbes de Provence, cranberry and honey), 8oz clear deli container; expiration dates 7/25/22, 8/1/22, 8/8/22, 8/22/22
- Quark Cheese (plain and dill and onion), 8 oz and 16 oz clear deli container; expiration dates 7/7/22, 8/4/22, 8/25/22
The firm distributed the cheese products above at the following locations:
- Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market in Washington, DC
- Takoma Park Farmers Market in Takoma Park, Maryland
- Smith Meadows Farm Store in Berryville, Virginia
- Oylers Organic Farms and Market in Biglerville, Pennsylvania
- Talking Breads Farm Store in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Listeria infections
Keswick Creamery initiated the recall after a routine FDA sampling program discovered the Listeria contamination. The company has ceased production and distribution of all products as it investigates the cause.
The company has received no reports of illness for the cheeses in this recall. However, customers who consume these products risk developing listeriosis. Symptoms can take up to 30 days to appear after eating food products containing the bacteria. Because of that, people often cannot identify the food that made them sick.
“Listeria can be found in raw milk and it’s thought to be present in perhaps 2% to 4% of raw milk supply,” Dr. Elliot Ryser, Professor Emeritus of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University, told BGR in a statement.
“Pasteurization will take care of the problem, so Listeria is eliminated by pasteurization. In looking at this recall, a fair number of these cheeses were prepared from raw milk,” he added. “There is an FDA ruling requiring certain cheeses to be aged for 60 days or longer before sale, which these were. In the recall, ricotta and Havarti are ones that need to be made from pasteurized milk which they were.”
“So, the most common source for listeria contamination is in the processing facility. If you look for it, you’ll eventually find it,” Ryser concluded. “It could have been when they were cut into large blocks.”
Healthy people who get listeriosis experience short-term symptoms, including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. However, children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems risk developing severe infections that can be fatal.
Furthermore, pregnant women are at risk of developing miscarriages and stillbirths. Infection of the newborn is also possible.
What you should do
Keswick Creamery urges customers to discard the cheese products in this recall if they have any at home. Buyers can contact the company by phone or mail to arrange refunds. You’ll find contact information in the recall press release at this link.
Also, people who think they’ve experienced symptoms after eating any cheese from the recall should contact a doctor.
More recall coverage: A massive meat recall was issued over fears of listeria.
