A farm in Maryland is recalling all of its cheese and products containing cheese after Listeria was detected in multiple samples.
Clover Hill Dairy, which is located in Mechanicsville, initially recalled all its requeson cheese and soft ricotta products.
That recall has expanded to all the company’s cheese products, the Food and Drug Administration said on June 15.
The products include smoked and mild cheeses.
Nelson & Isa Lacteos, one of Clover Hill Dairy’s distributors, has also recalled 1-pound packages of requeson cheese sold in New York in May.
The Clover Hill cheese was distributed by Nelson & Isa Lacteos and other companies to retail stores and directly to customers in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., according to federal officials. The products were distributed from May 4 through May 30.
People who purchased the products are being warned not to eat them. Stores that have the cheese should not sell or serve it.
The products may have been repackaged and relabeled. In addition to being labeled as from Clover Hill Dairy, they may be called names such as Kesso, Quesos La Ricura, Izalco, De Mi Pueblo, and Rio Lindo.
Any labels on the products should identify the permit or plant number as 24-128.
Clover Hill Dairy is described on a local tourism website as being Amish-owned and -operated. The farm’s website was not functioning. It could not be reached for comment.
The Maryland Department of Health suspended Clover Hill Dairy’s operating license on May 30.
Six samples have tested positive for Listeria and matched the strain identified as behind the outbreak, which has sickened nine people across Maryland, New York, and Virginia. Eight were hospitalized, and one died.
The death occurred in Maryland in 2023, the Maryland Department of Health said on Monday. Officials said they would not release any other information about that or other cases to protect the privacy of people who became sick.
Listeria is a disease-causing bacterium that can grow in unsanitary manufacturing facilities, contaminating food.
Symptoms can include headache, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.
If people experience any symptoms after eating the recalled cheese, they should contact a healthcare provider immediately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.