Blue cheese fans, check your fridges.
On Tuesday Whole Foods Market announced a recall of Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese due to possible risk of Listeria monocytogenes. Stores nationwide have recalled the product.
This particular cheese is sold in clear plastic wrap with labels in several different weights reading “Maytag Blue Raw Milk,” “Maytag Blue” or “Maytag Iowa Blue Cheese.” Items in question have PLU numbers beginning with 293308 and “sell-by” dates of 1/20/2016 and 3/21/16, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
No illnesses associated with the cheese have been reported thus far, but consumers should be weary of ingesting the potentially contaminated food. Approximately 1,600 people get sick from listeria each year, and approximately 260 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The infection is usually caused by eating something contaminated with the bacteria. It can lead to fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle aches, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues.
Pregnant women, along with older adults and those with weakened immune systems, are at highest risk for the illness. In severe cases, pregnant women who are infected may experience miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or run the risk of a life-threatening infection in the baby.
The FDA advises consumers to discard the product if they bought it. Consumers can also bring their receipt into the store for a full refund.
Maytag Dairy Farms has chosen to suspend production and distribution while it works with the FDA and the state of Iowa to find the source of the potential contamination.
For more information, direct questions to 512-477-5566, extension 20060, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
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