Listeria outbreak recall: Cheese, yogurt, sour cream from Whole Foods, 12 other brands

David J. Neal
·3 min read
3

An FDA inspection that found listeria at a Modesto, California, food manufacturer prompted a recall of all cheeses, yogurts and sour cream made by the manufacturer for 13 brands.

Rizo-López Foods makes the milk-based foods for brands including Whole Foods Market’s 365, Food City, Casa Cardenas, Don Francisco and Tio Francisco. Some of the products have been linked to a listeria outbreak that stretched over nine years and has killed two people.

Rizo-López yanked aged cheese in January after the state of Hawaii found listeria in sample of Rizo Bros.’ Aged Cotija.

READ MORE: Check your aged cheese — 344 cases got recalled after listeria was found

What dairy foods have been recalled?

Here’s a list of the products recalled followed by the brands selling them.

▪ Blanco Suave: Tio Francisco.

▪ Cotija cheese: Tio Francisco, Rizo Bros, Food City, San Carlos.

▪ Cotija cheese (grated): Tio Francisco, Casa Cardenas, Rizo Bros.

▪ Cotija Enchilado: Tio Francisco, Food City, Casa Cardenas.

▪ Cotija Rellado: Tio Francisco.

▪ Crema Centroamericana: Tio Francisco, Campesino.

▪ Crema La Deliciosa: Tio Francisco.

▪ Crema La Suprema: Tio Francisco.

▪ Crema Latina: Tio Francisco,

▪ Creme Menonita: Campesino.

▪ Crema Mexicana: Tio Francisco, Food City, Santa Maria, Campesino, San Carlos.

Tio Francisco Crema Mexicana Mexican Sour Cream FDA
Tio Francisco Crema Mexicana Mexican Sour Cream FDA

▪ Crema Nortena: Tio Francisco.

▪ Crema Santa Isabel Centroamericana, Latina, Mexicana: Available at retail deli counters.

▪ Fresco: Tio Francisco, San Carlos.

▪ Fresco (Michoacano): Tio Francisco, El Huache, La Ordena.

▪ Oaxaca: Rizo Bros., Tio Francisco, Food City, San Carlos.

▪ Oaxaca (shredded): Tio Francisco.

▪ Panela: Tio Francisco, Food City, San Carlos, Dos Ranchitos, La Ordena, Campesino.

▪ Panela Barra: Tio Francisco:

▪ Queso Crema: Food City, San Carlos, Rizo Bros., Don Francisco, Tio Francisco, Rio Grande, Food City, Santa Maria, Dos Ranchitos.

▪ Ricotta from Whole Milk: Whole Foods Market 365.

Ricotta Cheese made with whole milk from Whole Foods Market’s 365 brand. FDA
Ricotta Cheese made with whole milk from Whole Foods Market’s 365 brand. FDA

▪ Ricotta from Part Skim: Whole Foods Market 365.

▪ Queso Fresco: Tio Francisco, Don Francisco, Rizo Bros, Rio Grande, Food City.

▪ Queso Para Frier: Tio Francisco.

▪ Queso Seco: Tio Francisco.

▪ Requeson: Tio Francisco.

▪ Yogurt in Plain, Strawberry, Peach and Mango flavors: Tio Francisco.

How many have been sickened in the nine-year outbreak?

Twenty-six people have been infected from June 15, 2014, to Dec. 10, 2023, 23 of whom required hospital care. Two people have died.

California has the most people infected with eight. Arizona and Colorado have four each. Tennessee and Texas have two each. Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington each have one.

“This outbreak includes cases dating back to 2014 and is currently ongoing,” the FDA said Tuesday. “The CDC investigated this outbreak in 2017 and 2021. 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.”

The CDC’s Tuesday update says 16 of the 22 infected people interviewed “reported eating queso fresco, cotija, or other similar cheeses. Among people who remembered specific brands, three people who got sick between 2014 and 2022 reported Don Francisco brand queso fresco or cotija.”

What to know about listeria

Listeria is not common, but it can be lethal. About 1,600 people in the United States get infected with listeria each year, the CDC says, and the foodborne illness kills about 260 annually. It can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Pregnant women, children under 5 and adults over 65 are most vulnerable to the worst listeria symptoms.