Cheese Recalled After Being Linked to Deadly Outbreak

Clover Hill Dairy has recalled some of its cheese after investigators found Listeria in multiple samples, federal officials announced June 4.

The Mechanicsville, Maryland-based farm recalled all of its requeson cheese and soft ricotta products, the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a joint statement.

The products are sold from the farm, at farmers’ markets, and through distributors in multiple states, including New York and Virginia.

The Maryland Department of Health said it suspended Clover Hill Dairy’s operating license due to risk to public health, and warned consumers that they should not eat, sell, or serve any of the farm’s requeson or soft ricotta products.

Clover Hill Dairy is described on a local tourism website as an Amish-owned and operated farm. The farm’s website did not appear to be functioning, and it could not be reached for comment.

Eight people have been sickened with Listeria linked to the products, and one person died, federal authorities said.

Samples from the sick people were collected from March 6, 2023, to May 9, 2026.

Five of the people reported eating cheese, and two people specifically reported eating cheese from Clover Hill Dairy.

New York health officials in May collected samples from a retailer in Brentwood, and one of the samples tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, or disease-causing bacteria. Analysis matched the strain from the requeson cheese to two sick people who bought requeson cheese from the retailer.

On May 27, New York officials inspected the retailer’s cheese distributor, which identified Clover Hill Dairy as its requeson cheese provider. A sample from an unopened bucket of requeson cheese manufactured by Clover Hill Dairy tested positive for Listeria. Further testing is pending.

The voluntary recall was initiated on June 3, officials said.

While at least some of the products are labeled as from Clover Hill Dairy, others may have been relabeled under a different brand name by distributors.

“Consumers are urged to check the manufacturer information on packages, if available,” the Maryland Department of Health stated. “The label should identify the Clover Hill Dairy manufacturer permit (or plant) number as ’24-128.'”

Listeria is a common bacterium found in food, water, sewage, and animals. A primary transmission route is through ingestion of food that has become contaminated.

Symptoms of Listeria include fever, headache, and diarrhea.

People who have consumed the cheese and suffer symptoms should contact their healthcare provider for care, officials said.