Listeria Outbreak Prompts Recall of Rizo Lopez Foods' Cheese, Yogurt, and Sour Cream

Dairy products from Rizo Lopez Foods have been recalled due to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The recall was initiated by Rizo Lopez Foods on Monday after it was associated with two fatalities and numerous illnesses nationwide, as confirmed by government officials.

Products such as cheese, yogurt, and sour cream that come under this recall are marketed under diverse brand names:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has collated a comprehensive list of all the affected items, including images of the packaging, UPC numbers, and expiry dates.

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these products are tied to a nationwide Listeria monocytogenes outbreak tracing back to 2014.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can lead to a severe infection termed listeriosis. Listeriosis claims the lives of about 260 people out of an estimated 1,600 affected each year.

It can result in an intestinal ailment, causing symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, or trigger a more invasive disease with symptoms like a fever, flu-like condition, headache, stiff neck, and seizures.

The disease can be more severe and have serious side effects for pregnant individuals, newborns, recent mothers, older adults, or people with compromised immune systems.

“While infected pregnant women may exhibit only mild, flu-like symptoms, the infection can be transferred to the unborn baby,' Darin Detwiler, LPD, MAEd, an assistant teaching professor at Northeastern University, explained.

Notably, it may take as long as 70 days post-exposure to Listeria for the symptoms of listeriosis to develop, complicating the tracing of the culprit food.

The CDC informs that the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak tied to the Rizo Lopez recall commenced in June 2014, with investigations carried out from 2017 to 2021. Previous probes identified queso fresco and similar types of cheese as a probable source of the outbreak but failed to pinpoint a specific brand.

The investigation was resumed in January following reports of fresh cases. The listeria strain associated with the outbreak was detected in a cheese sample from Rizo Lopez Foods.

In total, 26 people from 11 states were affected by the listeria linked to this outbreak. Among them, 23 needed hospitalization, and it resulted in two fatalities.

The outbreak is most likely more extensive, as not all individuals showing listeriosis symptoms seek testing and medical attention, according to CDC officials.

The CDC further advises anyone possessing these products to refrain from consuming, selling, or serving them, and to discard them right away.

Detwiler underscores the urgency of adhering to the recall advice due to the severity of listeriosis.

“If you are in possession of any of these products, you should either discard them or return them to the place of purchase,' he recommended. 'If you have ingested any of the recalled items, watch for symptoms like vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle pain, severe headache, and neck stiffness.'