Deadly Listeria Outbreak Prompts Nationwide Recall Of Dozens Of Cheese And Dairy Products

Queso fresco and other similar cheeses have been linked to a listeria outbreak that has killed two people.

Rizo-López Foods, Inc. has issued a recall of dozens of its cheese and dairy products linked to a long-running listeria outbreak.

Federal health officials recently connected the California-based company to a decade-long multi-state listeria outbreak that has sickened 26, hospitalized 23, and left two people dead.

According to a food safety alert from the CDC, the recalled products were distributed nationwide and include cheese, yogurt, and sour cream sold 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, and 365 Whole Foods Market. You can find a full list of recalled products here.

Illnesses associated with the outbreak strain have been reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.

The CDC, which has been tracking infections with this particular strain of listeria for years, warned that the “true number of sick people” in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported.

“CDC investigated this outbreak in 2017 and 2021,” the CDC stated Tuesday. “Epidemiologic evidence in previous investigations identified queso fresco and other similar cheeses as a potential source of the outbreak, but there was not enough information to identify a specific brand. CDC reopened the investigation in January 2024 after new illnesses were reported in December 2023 and the outbreak strain was found in a cheese sample from Rizo-López Foods.”

Consumption of food contaminated with listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems can occur.

“Consumers should check their refrigerators and freezers for any of the products and dispose of them immediately. They should also clean the refrigerator and any containers or surfaces that may have come into contact with the recalled products as listeria can survive in the refrigerator and spread to other foods and surfaces,” the CDC said.

Contact a health care provider if you think you may have eaten contaminated food and are experiencing related symptoms.

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