Cheese, yogurt and dairy recall: Here’s a list of items linked to Listeria outbreak

By Mira Cheng, CNN

(CNN) — Multiple large retailers, including Costco and Trader Joe’s, have recalled items containing dairy products from Rizo-López Foods Inc. due to possible Listeria contamination.

Rizo-López Foods Inc. initially recalled dozens of dairy products last week after an investigation identified them as the source of a multistate Listeria outbreak that led to two deaths and 23 hospitalizations.

Since then, the recall has expanded to include additional products made with the recalled yogurt, sour cream and cheese, such as dressings, sandwiches and salad kits.

Brands and the products they have recalled in the past week include:

• Sprouts Farmers Market: No Brand Chicken Street Taco Kit
• SaveMart: Chicken Street Taco Kit
• The Perfect Bite Co: Mexican Style Street Corn Bites
• Stater Bros: Chicken Street Taco Kit
• Fresh Express: Fresh Express Salsa! Ensalada Kit, Marketside Southwest Chopped Salad Kit
• Albertsons, Safeway, Eagle, Carrs-Safeway, Pavilions, Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, Lucky: Chicken Taco Kits and Meals
• Dole, Marketside, President’s Choice: Salad kits
• Fresh and Ready, Sprig and Sprout, Jack and Olive: Torta sandwiches
• Marketside: Bacon Ranch Crunch Salad Kit
• Marketside: Bacon Ranch Crunch Chopped Salad Kit
• Bright Farms: Bright Farms Southwest Chipotle Crunch Kit salad kit
• Trader Joe’s: Chicken Enchiladas Verde, Cilantro Salad Dressing, Elote Chopped Salad Kit, Southwest Salad
• Marketside, Ready Pac Bistro: Southwest Chopped Salad Kit, Bacon Ranch Crunch Kit, Fresh Mex Chopped Kit, Queso Crunch Salad Kit
• Rojo’s: Black Bean 6 Layer Dip
• Don Pancho, HEB, Trader Joe’s: Cilantro Lime Crema, Everything Sauce Fiesta, Cilantro Cotija dressing, Poblano Caesar dressing, Cilantro Dressing, Street Taco Express Meal Kit

For more information about specific product recalls, consumers can visit the FDA Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts site.

The recalled products from Rizo-López Foods Inc. were distributed nationwide and sold under the brand names Tio Francisco, Don Francisco, Rizo Bros, Rio Grande, Food City, El Huache, La Ordena, San Carlos, Campesino, Santa Maria, Dos Ranchitos, Casa Cardenas, and 365 Whole Foods Market, according to a food safety alert from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The scale of the outbreak is likely greater than the currently reported numbers as some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria, according to the CDC. The agency is working with the FDA to investigate the outbreak.

What is Listeria?

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause serious, sometimes fatal, infections in young children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems. Listeria infection in pregnant individuals can lead to miscarriages and stillbirths, the CDC said. Healthy individuals may experience only short-term symptoms.

The infection can manifest as a fever, muscle aches, excessive tiredness, severe headache, nausea, stomachache, or diarrhea. Symptoms typically begin within two weeks after eating contaminated food but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after, according to the CDC.

The CDC said it is aware of 26 people from 11 states who have been infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria between June 2014 and December 2023. The two deaths associated with the infections were reported in California and Texas.

What to do with recalled products

Consumers should check their refrigerators and freezers for any of the products and dispose of them immediately. They should also clean the refrigerator and any containers or surfaces that may have come into contact with the recalled products as Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and spread to other foods and surfaces, the CDC said.

Consumers should contact their health-care provider immediately if they experience any of the symptoms listed above after eating the recalled dairy products. They can contact Rizo-López Foods Inc. directly with questions at 1-833-296-2233, and report adverse events to the FDA.

Although the Listeria outbreak has been investigated twice before, once in 2017 and again in 2021, the CDC said it did not have enough data until now to identify the source of the outbreak. Recent interviews with sick people and facility screenings led the CDC to identify queso fresco and Cotija cheese made by Rizo-López Foods as the source of the illnesses.

This is not the first recall of Rizo-López Foods Inc. products related to Listeria, according to the CDC investigation. The company recalled its aged Cotija cheese in early January after Hawaii state officials found Listeria in the product.

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